Miss Whiting retires

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 30

Miss Whiting retires

The greatest butterfly swimmer in New Zealand history has been forced into an early retirement. Miss Cathy Whiting, a blonde 17-year-old who represented New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games last year, made this decision yesterday.

New Zealand’s best prospect for a medal at the Munich Olympics next year, Miss Whiting’s premature retirement has been forced by what may be a permanent back disability. A deteriorating disc means that the right side is now lower than the left, and Miss Whiting has to wear a back support.

Her final competitive appearances will be as a member of the Canterbury team in the Tisco

tournament at Auckland tomorrow. A triple national champion last season, Miss Whiting has left her mark on New Zealand swimming in sprints. Always an outstanding freestyle swimmer over 100 metres—she was the first, in 1968, to beat the redoubtable Miss T. K. Shipston over 100 metres —Miss Whiting has concentrated more heavily on the butterfly stroke in the last two years.

She is the British champion for the 100 metres —a title she won after last year’s Edinburgh Games —and holds the New Zealand record with a time of Irnin 7.3 sec—a tenth of a second faster than that in which she won the championship at Blackpool.

In the last year, Miss Whiting has also placed a greater concentration un tiie 200 metres butterfly. Born in Wales, but an immigrant to Australia when she was only 2, Miss Whiting arrived in Christchurch as a tanned little 10-year-old who could swim faster than 13-year-old boys. Seven years later, this youthful promise was recognised by her receiving the International Award from the Amateur Swimming Association as the New Zealand swimmer with a time closest to a world mark.

On her arrival in this country, the little girl told a reporter of "The Press” that she was going to swim for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games. Her confidence was later amply justified. Miss Whiting’s retirement, even though it is forced upon her, highlights the large turnover of topclass competitors in the sport She is the sixth member of the 10-strong Edinburgh and British championships team to conclude her competitive career.