MISS POULSEN’S SUPERB SOLO EFFORT Pentathlon record set by Games contender

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32849, 24 February 1972, Page 24

MISS POULSEN’S SUPERB SOLO EFFORT Pentathlon record set by Games contender

(By

R. O. DEW)

In a superb solo effort, the gifted Canterbury all-rounder. Miss B. Poulsen (Technical), placed herself in the front line of Olympic Games contenders by breaking the New Zealand pentathlon record during the University-Shirley club’s open meeting at Ham last evening.

Miss Poulsen, who has already represented New Zealand overseas as a shot putter, finished the five events with a total of 4538 points.

This beat the national record of 4501 points set eight years ago by another Canterbury athlete, and former New Zealand champion, Mrs I. W. Wilson.

Breaking the national record by such a margin was a tremendous achievement, but the manner in which Miss Poulsen accomplished it was even more impressive. She competed in the five-event pentathlon programme, put on for her benefit, on her own, and in a little more than two hours. This testing programme is normally held over two days.

During the contest she broke the Canterbury 100 metres hurdles record by 0.6 sec with a new time of 14.2 sec. She set the original mark two years ago. Her pentathlon score also broke the Canterbury record for the event of 4459 points,

set by Mrs V. I. Young in 1964.

In the shot, an event in which she is the New Zealand champion, Miss Poulsen recorded a best throw of 47ft Ilin. In the high jump, her weakest event, she cleared 4ft 9|in, and in the long jump she achieved 18ft 9in. Green went close

In the last event, the 200 metres sprint, she needed only to run the distance in less than 26.55ec to break the record. With the light fading, she raced through the tape in 25.65ec.

Her pentathlon record is now subject to extensive checking by officials. Six other Canterbury records were broken during the evening. The 17-year-old Christchurch club runner, D. Green, failed by o.6sec to break the New Zealand junior 1500 metres record, held by R. Tayler, now of Dunedin. How-

ever, his time of 3min 51.5 sec bettered the Canterbury mark also set by Tayler, by o.7sec.

"I don’t think any 17-year-old boy in New Zealand, apart from Tayler, has recorded a time as fast as Green did tonight,” his coach (Mr K. E. Williams) said afterwards.

Under age sprints records fell in almost every event, with young athletes taking advantage of the superb condition of the grass track and the perfect weather. M. Sutherland (UniversityShirley) won the under 17 boys’. 100 metres in 10.9 sec. This broke the provincial under 17 record of 11.2 sec, set by J. Bailey (Toe H) four years ago, and also equalled the junior record. J. Thornton (UniversityShirley), who was second, also broke the old record with his time of ll.lsec.

Second achievement

Later, Sutherland lowered the Canterbury under 17 200 metres record of 22.8 sec by O.lsec. Thornton was again second, this time in 23.75ec. Honours were shared in the under 15 girls’ sprints. Miss B. Peterson (Technical) took the 100 metres in 12.4 sec, with Miss J. Beckett (St Margaret’s College) a close second in 12.6 sec. Miss Peterson’s time was O.lsec inside the record she set in 1970. However, Miss Beckett’s moment of glory came later. She won the girls’ under 15 200 metres in an extremely close finish with Miss Peterson and her time of 25.35ec

clipped o.Bsec off the record she set in December. Miss Peterson’s time of 25.45ec for second was also well inside the existing record. The final sprint record of the meeting was in the girls’ under 17 200 metres. The Canterbury senior 200 metres champion, Miss L. Trimble (Toe H), won in the new time of 25.35ec, a tenth of a second better than the record set by Miss C. Green four years ago.

Took their chance

A special attempt by the Toe H team on the junior 4 x 100 metres relay record failed by I.2sec, its time was 43.65ec. However, the University-Shirley under 17 team of Thornton, C. Muir, R. Lindsay and Sutherland unofficially lowered the under 17 record by 0.3 of a second in the same race. The University-Shirley team had entered to give the Toe H runners some opposition. Other winning times were: S. W. Cowles, 48.7, 400 metres; T. Cochrane, 10.8, 100 metres; G. Anderson, 21.9 sec, 200 metres; Mrs A. Horsnell, 12.4, 100 metres, 25.9, 200 metres; S. McLean, 4:13.8, mile; A. Gilmour, 1:18.9, 600 metres.