Graham making a serious comeback

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32222, 14 February 1970, Page 9

Graham making a serious comeback

ANE of New Zealand’s v most durable swimming champions, W. H. Graham (Auckland), who retired last year after winning 14 national breaststroke titles, will return to the national championships this year to defend his 100 metres and 200 metres titles

Graham dominated breaststroke swimming in New Zealand for almost a decade, won both titles in the Auckland championships last week with limited training and has decided to increase his training for the national championships at Dunedin on March 12, 13 and 14. Graham was influenced in his decision to come out'of retirement by the poor national standard of breaststroke swimming this year and by the times he recorded in the Auckland championships. He won the 200 metres in 2min 48.6 sec, only s.3sec outside his winning time at the nationals last year and the 100 metres in Imin 17sec which was 2.Bsec outside his national time last year.

At 25 he faces a difficult task in returning to top form in a sport which demands four hours training a day at the top level But he has been encouraged sufficiently to try and it would give New Zealand an excellent medley team at Edinburgh if he could reach suf-

ficient form to warrant selection. He must record times near to the target set by the selectors of Imin 12.5 sec for the 100 metres and 2min 39sec for the 200 metres. He bettered both times before selection for the Commonwealth Games at Jamaica in 1966. He won two silver medals at Jamaica in breaststroke events and swam the breaststroke leg in the 4 x 100 metres medley relay in which New Zealand won a bronze medal. Even if he does not succeed in gaining selection for Edinburgh, he is sure to give the national championships a fillip in breaststroke events. His present tally of six wins in the 100 metres breaststroke and eight wins in the 200 metres should be increased.