OLYMPIC RIVALS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31783, 13 September 1968, Page 17

OLYMPIC RIVALS

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NAIROBI. Kipchage Keino, Kenya’s world record holder over 3000 metres, fears just one man in his bid for a

gold medal at the Mexico Olympic Games Ron Clarke, of Australia, Associated Press reported. For years, these two have battled for supremacy, Keino has had the better of their encounters round the world. Kenya’s “flying policeman” might run either the 5000 metres or 10,000 metres in Mexico, but the 5000 looks his best bet. Keino made his international track debut at the Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962, but the Tokyo Olympics of 1964 marked the turning point in his career. He finished fifth in the 1500 metres semi-final and sixth in the 5000 metres

final. The 5000 metres became his speciality. In 1965 he beat Clarke for second behind M. Jazy (France) in the Helsinki world

games. In the same year, Keino set his 3000 metres record—7min 39.5 sec—at Haelsingborg, Sweden, and became the first African to break four minutes In the mile—3mln 54.25ec at the White City, London. Later that year be set a world record for 5000 metres, but did not hold it for long. Clarke came storming back to set a new

mark. In Jamaica, in 1966, Keino made Commonwealth Games history by. win-

ning both the mile (in 3min 55.35ec) and the three miles (In 12min 57.45ec). Last December he ran a mile in 3mln 53-lsec at Kisumu, about 20 miles west of Nairobi, and became the world's second fastest miler behind the American, J. Ryun. This year, he ran 10,000 metres In 28min 6.4 sec, finishing second to J. Haase (Germany) in Leningrad. This is the third fastest time recorded.