FINNISH OLYMPIANS TO RACE IN CHRISTCHURCH

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33044, 11 October 1972, Page 19

FINNISH OLYMPIANS TO RACE IN CHRISTCHURCH

Two of the outstanding performers at the Munich Olympic Games, Beiula Vasala and Lasse Viren, both of Finland, will be seen in action in Christchurch this season if plans to organise a series of international meetings under the sponsorship of Rothmans are successful. Invitations have been

sent to the two brilliant Finnish runners and it is hoped that they will be able to compete in New Zealand in December and January. A prominent 400 metres runner and a coach are also being invited. If the series is held, it is almost certain that Christchurch, the venue

for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, will be asked to stage a meeting. Viren, a 23-year-old policeman, won both the 5000 and 10,000 metres gold medals at Munich and later paid tribute to the outstanding New Zealand coach (Mr A. L. Lydiard) who spent a period coaching in Finland. Viren set a new world record for the 10,000 metres of 27min 38.4 sec in winning the gold medal for this event. Later in a post-Olympic meeting in Helsinki, he broke the world record for 5000 metres with a time of 13min 16.4 sec. The old mark of 13min 16.6 sec was set by the incomparable Australia, R. W. Clarke. However, Viren’s hold on the record was to be a short one. E. Puttemans, who was runner-up to Viren in the 10,000 metres, set a new world mark of 13min 13 sec for the 5000 metres in Brussels a few days later.

Vasala won the gold medal in the 1500 metres —<one of the glamour distances—at the Munich Olympics. The picture shows Viren in action at the Munich Games.