Unsuccessful Last Day For N.Z. Athletes

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32359, 27 July 1970, Page 16

Unsuccessful Last Day For N.Z. Athletes

New Zealand’s frustrations in the track and field events continued to the bitter end. And perhaps the biggest disappointment came on the last day when Les Mills, of Auckland, a favourite for the shot put gold medal, only managed third placing.

Mills’s last throw of 60ft 4|in was well below his best and almost 3ft behind the winner, Dave Steen, of Canada. The Taihape schoolteacher, Mrs Sylvia Potts, showed the. effects of three days’ hard running in the women’s 800 metres final and could do no better than fifth. To complete the disappointments, Dick Quax and Rich-

All reports of the Commonwealth Games on this page have been supplied by N.Z.P.A.’s staff correspondents in Edinburgh.

ard Tayler were outclassed in the 5000 metres, Dave Norris failed to get past the first three rounds of the triple jump final, and -Miss Sally Flynn was last in the women’s javelin, her best throw of 131 ft, being an embarrassing 39ft behind the gold medallist, Petra Rivers, of Australia. UNHAPPY MILLS

Mills, a man who takes most things philosophically, was bitterly disappointed with his performance in the shot.

F his first attempt. His previJous best this year was 61ft h “Steen’s throw really broke , the field," Mills said. Mrs Potts, who had cruel luck in the 1500 metres, had - nothing in reserve when the , sprint for medals came in the ; 800 metres. She kept with > the bunch until the final bend I but when the other runners , put on the pressure, she - faded.

“I wanted to go with them but I knew that I didn’t have anything left,” Mrs Potts said. The race was won by the New Zealand-born Rosemary Stirling, of Scotland, in 2min 6.2 sec. Patricia Lowe, of England, took the silver medal and Cheryl Peasley,, of

Australia, won the bronze. Mrs Potts’s time was 2min 9.7 sec. Miss Stirling revealed that she had been born in Timaru and went to Britain with her parents from Whakatane eight years ago. She qualified for the Scottish team through her father being born in Dunfermline. However, she had no plans to return to New Zealand. Norris, with a best leap of 47ft sin, gained eleventh placing in the triple jump. His failure to break the 50ft mark meant he was never a threat to take a medal. Phil May, of Australia, cleared 54ft lOin, a new Games record, to win the gold.

“I just couldn’t get going and really smash it,” he said. “I didn’t have any snap at all." Mills said he had not put the shot since last Sunday—when he had a practice throw of 63ft—because he had been preparing for the discus, which was held in mid-week. Steen made his gold medalwinning throw of 63ft Ojin on