O’BRIEN IN 2 MILES

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32562, 23 March 1971, Page 24

O’BRIEN IN 2 MILES

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND. K. O’Brien, the world 3000 metres steeplechase and indoor two-mile record ■ holder, has accepted the invitation to compete in the feature two-mile event at the international athletics meeting at Mount Smart Stadium on Thursday night. O’Brien faces a particularly strong field which includes R. Quax, who lowered the New Zealand two-mile record to Bmin 25.65ec in Dunedin nine days ago. Given good weather, there is a chance that R. Clarke’s world two-mile record of Bmin 19.6 sec will be broken. Also in the field will be M. Ryan, the Olympic marathon bronze medallist and the winner of both the 5000 and 10,000 metres titles at the recent New Zealand championships, N. Healey, the national 3000 metres steeplechase champion, P. Reeves, P. Sumpter, and K. Ryan. The Auckland Athletic Centre has been forced to switch the feature event on Thursday night’s programme from the mile to the two miles because there is still doubt whether the United States world mile recordholder, J. Ryun, will be able to compete. Ryun will arrive in Auckland with his sub-four-minute mile team-mate, T. von Ruden, later today and it should then be known if he will race on Thursday night.

LEG INJURY He was to have run in Melbourne last Thursday night and in Adelaide yesterday, but a leg injury forced him to miss both meetings. An international mile will still be held at the Winstonesponsored meeting, even if

Ryun cannot make it to the starting line. Von Ruden, with a best mile time of 3min 57.65ec, will be running against R. Tayler and T. Sutherland, both from Dunedin. Tayler has been under four minutes for the mile three times since Christmas with a best of 3min 58.9 sec, and the 19-year-old Sutherland ran 4min 7sec two months ago. Others in the mile field will be W- Madden, who runs around 4min 2sec and is the

Auckland 800 and 1500 metres champion, P. Moy, M. Cullen, and R. Nixon-Smith.