DIXON MAY GO FOR STEEPLECHASE TOO

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33067, 7 November 1972, Page 40

DIXON MAY GO FOR STEEPLECHASE TOO

(By

R. O. DEW)

The winner of the bronze medal in the Munich Olympic 1500 metres earlier this year, R. P. Dixon, of Nelson, is “favourably inclined” towards attempting to run in the 3000 metres steeplechase as well as the “metric mile” at the Commonwealth Games in 1974.

"The programme for the Christchurch Games is such that I could fit these two events in,” Dixon said during a brief visit to Christchurch yesterday. “But this is only an idea at this stage —there is still 18 months to go and anything could happen.” In Christchurch he presented the colours at Mairehau High School and later toured the facilities which will be used for the next Commonwealth Games. "It is tremendous,” he said. “The work is obviously going to be completed in plenty of time. They are already starting on the track.”

Although on a smaller scale, the complex compared favourably with that at Munich, he said. “The complex at Munich was so huge that I was bewildered for two days looking at masses of concrete structures. It was like a dream. Now I am coming to accept big buildings.” At this stage Dixon, who is now 23, has no intention of moving up to the 5000 metres, an event he once thought would become his main one.

In the meantime, he hopes to improve on his best time for the 1500 metres — 3min 37.55ec, set in the Olympic final. He also hopes to improve his best 800 metres time — Imin 51 sec. He is conviced that he can lower this substantially because in

the second half of the Olympic 1500 metres final he ran 800 metres in Imin 50.5 sec. CROSS-COUNTRY A former New Zealand cross-country champion, he also harbours hopes of representing this country at the international cross-country championships in Belgium next March. If he is chosen, this will, unfortunately, mean that he will miss the national track championships in Wellington this season. The team will have left New Zealand

when the championships begin. Dixon recently received an invitation to compete in America during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. But he has decided not to run indoors and has not yet reached a decision whether to go to America for the outdoor season next July. “The programme would probably be too demanding,” he said. “They would want to get the best out of me as often as possible. Unless the programme they offered was reasonable I would not consider going.” He also has several offers of althletic scholarships from American Universities which he can take up at any time, but considers it unlikely that he will. “I would lose out if I went to the States. They work you far too hard,” he said. VISITS PLANNED

When the track at Queen Elizabeth II Park is completed, Dixon plans to make regular competitive visits to Christchurch. But he has no intention of settling in the city prior to the Games. Dixon said he would be quite happy to run in Christchurch this season if he was invited.

Boxing.—A. Mundine (Australia) knocked out R. Lee (West Indies) In the first minute of the second round of a middle-weight bout at Noumea.