Games Athletes Agree To Qualifying Marks

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31753, 9 August 1968, Page 13

Games Athletes Agree To Qualifying Marks

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. Setting the Olympic Games athletics targets as mandatory “in or out” marks would be quite feasible, according to one member of the team, the shot putter, L. R. Mills.

Mills said he felt that any athlete who considered he or she could not reach the targets before leaving this country should not go to Mexico City.

He was in full agreement with the national selector, Mr J. H. Borland, who submitted the targets at a management committee meeting on Tuesday.

Mr Borland wanted the performances to be the final decider as to whether an athlete would go to the games. However, the committee decided the marks were too severe to leave competitors at home if they were not achieved in trials next month.

The performances Mr Borland proposed the eight athletes in the games team should be able to achieve were:

R. D. Tait, 180 ft discus: Mills, 60ft shot; R. P. Welsh, 9min steeplechase; Mrs S. Potts, 2min lOsec half-mile; R. M. Maddaford and E. G. Maguire, 29min 30sec 10,000 metres; D. C. McKenzie and M. R. Ryan (marathon), 30min for six miles. Mills said he opposed the committee’s view that the targets were too severe. He could foresee no difficulties whatsoever in reaching his own particular mark, 60ft “This is a very reasonable target” he said, “and should be well within my reach. 1 would expect to be throwing at least 60ft by early Sep tember. “Most of the athletes should

be reaching a peak in their " preparations, and the same ji should apply to the other members of the athletic team.”

The two Auckland distance runners in the team, Maddaford and Maguire, also con sider the targets within their capabilities. Maddaford stated that if he could not ruq 29min 30sec for 10,000 metres five weeks before the Olympic event, he would not expect to do well at Mexico.