Base is key to new track

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 24

Base is key to new track

The athletics track to be used for the 1974 Commonwealth (James should be one of the best in the world. Mr \\ . A. Toomey. the decathlon gold medallist at the Mexico Olympics, said in Christchurch yesterday.

Mr Toomey, who is a sports adviser for the Chevron Asphalt Company. arrived in the city yesterday to attend a Games seminar this week that is aimed at giving' background to the Games organisation. Mr Toomey, who is also a former world record holder I in the decathlon, is accompanied by Mr R. K. Prothro, an executive with Chevron, which is supplying the allweather synthetic track for the Games. ‘‘When the track is put (down. Queen Elizabeth ll Park should have one of the; best facilities in the world." Mr Toomey said. “The company will be; .sending men to Christchurch; j to help lay the track to make sure no mistakes are made and to ensure the Games has the best possible track." He said the key to the sue-1 cess of the track was in the! preparation of the base. This I part was often neglected 1 when tracks were being laid. “What work is done with the > base is the thing that j counts.” he said. Mr Toomey said that to en- j sure a proper base, laboratory samples would be taken and tested. Once the base, which will be a mixture of rocks and gravel, was settled.: asphalt would be poured on.| land the synthetic coating! .would be laid last. ADVANTAGES He said the track for the. Games was one of the newest I (surfaces in the world and had! i advantages over others. In order to get faster; I times, surfaces have become j I hard, but although the track ; [for the Games will be soft.(athletes’ times will not be! (slower. I He said a resistance will be built into the track and this will make it 20-40 ner; (cent springier than other i tracks. “We have seen some; i great performances on the; track. “In America last year, the (North Carolina Central University runner. Larry Black, ran 44sec for a leg of a mile

l relay—one of the faster relax , leg times yet.” Mr Toomey said the Chev- " ron company had laid a sinii- ’ lar track to the one for the l Games at the Florida Univer- . sity and had orders for others ■ in various places. He said that if the track • were well looked after, it .(would need to be re-coated every five years and could 1 last up to 20 years. r Mr Toomey retired from competitive running two ‘ years ago after winning the • decathlon gold medal at the • Mexico Olympics. He is a for - mer Pan American Games c champion and has represented America in contests against Russia and West Germany ; Although he has finished ' with running, he is still con,'nected with the sport. He is on the board of directors of , the United States Olympic. .(Committee, an adviser with ' the president’s council of the , physical fitness in sport, and /works on telecasts of major ’ track and field events in Cali..fornia.