FIVE-YEAR ABSENCE ENDS Medal winner returns to sport—as coach

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 20

FIVE-YEAR ABSENCE ENDS Medal winner returns to sport—as coach

(By

R. O. DEW)

The bronze medal winner in the women’s 800 metres at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Mrs M. A. Stephens, has returned to athletics after an absence of five years—as a coach.

A small group of New Brighton club athletes are this season reaping the benefits of the great experience Mr Stephens gained in a competitive career which gained her the highest honours. “I am enjoying being back in the competition,” she said.

“I know I will never race again and this way I can keep my interest in the sport.” The athletes under her control are in their first season of competition and she feels it is too early to say how any of them will develop. However, the three she is mainly concerned with all gained placings in ■ the under age events they contested last Saturday. UNDER 17 WINNER W. Hadley won the under 17 boys’ 1500 metres, B. Burson was third in the first heat of the under 17 boys 100 metres, and Linda Coxon was third in her heat of the under 15 girls’ 200 metres. “That is not too bad,” a cheerful Mrs Stephen said afterwards. “They all seem to be enjoying themselves, anyway.”

In an athletic career which spanned 13 seasons, Mrs Stephen (formerly Miss Chamberlain) established herself as New Zealand’s greatest woman track athlete. STRING OF TITLES

She won 17 national titles (one in the 220 yards, nine in the 440 yards and seven in the 880 yards) and her records for 400 metres (53.9 sec), 440 yards (54.25ec) and 880 yards (2min 4.9 sec) still stand.

She broke the world 440 yard record four times, the 880 yards and 800 metres marks twice, and in the days when the mile was not a recognised distance for women, she held the unofficial world record at 4min 41.4 sec. As well as the bronze medal at Tokyo, she also won a silver medal in the Perth Commonwealth Games in the 880 yards. Throughout her career, Mrs Stephen was far too good for her rivals in New Zealand. She is well remembered at Rugby Park for her courageous runs against senior men, made in an effort to compensate for the lack of female competition available. RIVAL ATHLETE

However, it is her great rivalry with the talented Australian half-miler, Miss D. .Willis, which will remain

clearest in the minds of her supporters. The Australian champion won in world record time in their first clash and was again a narrow victor in the Commonwealth Games 880 yards. However, Mrs Stephen had the final say with her great mile run (from which Miss Willis withdrew at the eleventh hour) in Australia the next season. The same year she also gained her revenge over Miss Willis with a victory over 880 yards.