Commonwealth champion keen to visit

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33251, 14 June 1973, Page 30

Commonwealth champion keen to visit

The Commonwealth Games 5000 metres champion, lan Stewart, of Scotland, is prepared to fly to New Zealand for the Skellerup Steeples at Queen Elizabeth II Park on July 7, provided satisfactory travel arrangements can be made. “This is tremendous news,” Mr R. Fleming, president of the Christchurch Harrier Club, which is organising the meeting, said yesterday. “We are doing everything in our power to get him here and it all now hinges on our negotiations with Air New Zealand.” INVITATION SENT Stewart was approached by the present Canterbury 15,000 metres road champion, R. D. Robinson, who is studying Britain. No contact was made with the controversial English runner, D. Bedford, when it became known that Stewart was available. An official invitation was sent to Stewart this week. The main event in the Skellerup Steeples will be over 10,000 metres, with about 20 hurdles ranging between 3ft and 4ft high to be negotiated along the journey. However, this will be no worry for the 24-year-old Scot, who has run with considerable success over a great manv distances in recent years. His chief reason for agreeing to come to New Zealand next month is to examine the Commonwealth Games com-

plex at Queen Elizabeth 11 Park and obtain some idea of the conditions he will meet when he defends his 5000 metres title in January. Stewart won the Edinburgh title in the remarkable time of 13min 22.8 sec. a Commonwealth and Games record—and, at the time, the second fastest recorded. He did not fare so well in the Munich Olympics two years later, finishing third, behind L. Viren (Finland) and M. Gamoudi (Tunisia), in 13 min 27.65ec. Unfortunately, some of New Zealand’s top athletes, including last year’s winner of the steeples, R. P. Dixon (Nelson), will still be overseas with the Pacific Conference Games team. However, Mr Fleming and his helpers have contacted the most prominent runners who will be in New Zealand and most of them have indicated they would be prepared to race against Stewart. FOSTER TO RUN Among these is the 40-year-old champion marathon runner, J. Foster (Waikato), who has already shown tremendous ability in crosscountry events. The national marathon champion, T. Manners (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay), J. Robinson, B. Tyrell (Waikato), D. Sirl (Auckland), J, Dixon (Nelson), J. R. Sheddan (Canterbury), E. Robertson, L. Dey and S. Melville (Otago), are others keen to compete. Sheddan, Robertson and Robinson are New Zealand harrier representatives. Melville is a reserve for the Pacific Games team.