Commonwealth Games bid by Christchurch swimmer

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32143, 12 November 1969, Page 21

Commonwealth Games bid by Christchurch swimmer

WHEN the New Zealand ' ’ swimming team was selected for Canada earlier this year, it was criticised for having several swimmers who were not specialists in one stroke. One of the surprise selections, Geoffrey Walker, had gained only two placings in the national championships, both in medley events. But the faith of the selectors has been well justified. He is now emerging as one of the country’s best short and middle distance freestyle prospects. His best stroke is freestyle, and he has always regarded it as such, but his best performances before the Canadian tour were in medley events. However, in Canada, and now in this early stage of the swimming season, he has taken large slices off his previous times in freestyle, while his medley times have continued to improve at a less spectacular rate. He has already broken one New Zealand record in freestyle and four Canterbury records, three of which were in freestyle. His New Zealand record, in the 110yds lasted only two weeks before G. B. Smith (Auckland) broke it, but his time is still the second best in New Zealand. He was not ranked in the first five last season. In the time trials at tne Centennial Pool during the last month he has reduced his best time in 200 metres freestyle from 2min 7.Bsec last season to 2min s.ssec, I.4sec outside the New Zealand record and better than the Canterbury record set

by A. B. Kindred last season. In the 400 metres freestyle, he has only to reduce his time by eight seconds to beat the target time for the Commonwealth Games. His performances are encouraging and his effort has been dedicated. Since the tour of Canada he has swum an enormous mileage and among senior swimmers was one of the best prepared in New Zealand with his winter build-up. It was reflected immediately in the competition against the team from New South Wales. He won the 100 metres and 400 metres and only bad pace judgment cost him a place in the 200 metres.

His target this season is to better the qualifying times for the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and his chances look more encouraging in freestyle than medley events. He must reduce his 110yds freestyle time by I.4sec, which would break the New Zealand record, reduce his 440yds freestyle time by eight seconds to 4min 20.7 sec and provide a consistant series of performances round those marks to warrant selection. He would have to improve his 440yds medley time by 12sec to qualify.

“I am concentrating on the freestyle now, but if the medley times keep coming down, I will still try to im-

prove there, too,” he said. His coach since he returned from Canada, Mr V. T. Parkhouse, thinks his greatest potential lies in the shorter freestyle events. ‘‘He has great basic speed. What he needs now is pace judgment and conditioning."

He should be able to learn a lot more this summer from training with Kindred, who has uncanny accuracy in determining his speed in middle distance races. With the addition of the Southland swimmer, M. Treffers, to the Parkhouse squad from December, Walker should have every incentive to improve his best times.

Treffers has a better time than Walker for 440yds freestyle this season and Walker is behind Smith in the 110 yds. Even if he does break the target times for Edinburgh, he may still be faced with the necessity of beating both swimmers.

His first opportunity against Smith will be in Hamilton on November 22 when he will also meet another nationally ranked swimmer, I. G. Campbell (Waikato). Although ranked behind Campbell last year, Walker was second only to Smith in the 100 metres freestyle winter competition ranking list and had the best time in New Zealand (although Kindred did not swim) in the 400 metres freestyle. There has been a tremendous emphasis placed on winter training, something which New Zealand swimmers have been slow to take to, but Walker might have gained a vital advantage with his 12 miles a week winter schedule.