Bostons Visit To N.Z. A Boost For Athletics

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31500, 14 October 1967, Page 11

Bostons Visit To N.Z. A Boost For Athletics

IT now seems that there is 7 a good chance that Ralph Harold Boston, the man who has headed the world long jump ■ rankings for the last, seven years in succession, may compete in Christchurch after ail. He is available for centre meetings until the end of January, and Canterbury was not slow to lodge an invitation with tiie New Zealand Amateur Athletic- Association. But even if he does not come to the South Island there will be much consolation in the. fact that some of Canterbury’s most promising young athletes, as well as its top coaches, will have the golden opportunity to absorb his philosophies and training ideas at the New Zealand coaching clinic at Trentham in January. He has verbally indicated that he will be available to coach and lecture at the. clinic and will no doubt ably demonstrate his prowess at a number of •vents during the course. The New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association is extremely fortunate to gain the services of such an accomplished and well-liked athlete. Boston, now 28, currently holds the world long jump record at 27ft 4}in and is a strong favourite to win back the Olympic title in Mexico next year that he lost to Great Britain’s- Lynn Davies at Tokyo. However, his usefulness as a coach is not confined to the long jump, although this is unquestionably his

specialist event Boston, like many American Negroes, is an outstanding all-rounder. His best performances in -the 120 yards hurdles (13.7 sec 220 yards hurdles (straight 22.4 sec, full turn 23.25ec) and high jump (6ft Bfin) are all better , than the respective New- Zealand reqord for each event. And in one other event the 100 yards sprint his best time of 9.6 sec equals the New Zealand record at present shared by Canterbury’s D. W. Mackenzie. He is also capable of 10.3 sec for the 100 metres, 21 sec for the 220 yards sprint 13ft 9in in the pole vault 52ft Ifin in the triple jump and 210 ft in the javelin. Boston has a great natural talent. Many feel that he has not yet reached his full potential as he is only now beginning to apply himself to the technical requirements of long jumping. And yet he has already exceeded the usual competitive lifespan of American athletes. He was'both in Laurel, Mississippi, on May 9, 1939, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with hia wife and two children. He is currently a post graduate student in biochemistry at Ten? nessee State University. He began competition in 1954 as a 15-year-old and. cleared 20ft 4in. Hi* progress was rapid and in 1959 . he was ranked 16th with 25ft 3in. Since then he has produced the best jump in the world each year, except in 1962 when the honour went to I. Ter-Ovanesyan (Russia)

and last year when he was joint second with Davies behind T.er-Ovanesyan. Boston has beaten 27ft in nine competitions without wind assistance and heads the 1967 world rankings with a jump of 27ft 2fin. Ter-Ovanesyan is the only other athlete who has reached the 27ft mark. He has improved on . the world record six .times, first beating the historic 25-year-old mark of Jesse Owens (26ft Bfin) in August, 1960. Two years later he lost it to Ter-Ovanesyan who cleared 27ft 3sih but regained it in September, 1964. Throughout his career Boston has made friend! wherever he has gone. In the athletic arenas bl America there is no more popular figure than that the good natured 6ft liin, 12st Negro long jumper. He never hesitates’ to help a rival and everyone who haa come into contact with him has a great respect for him both as a person and an Any New Zealand athlete who models himself on Boston could never go far wrong. Boston’s visit to the Dominion could hardly be anything but a success.