RECORD-BREAKING LONG JUMP 16-year-old leaps into Commonwealth rankings

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33413, 20 December 1973, Page 26

RECORD-BREAKING LONG JUMP 16-year-old leaps into Commonwealth rankings

(Bv R. O. DEW)

The 16-year-old New Zealand pentathlon champion, Miss S. Burnside (Technical), broke her pending Canterbury long jump record with a tremendous leap of 6.19 m (20ft 34in) during the University club’s track and field 1 meeting at Ilam last evening.

This was only 4in outside the national record set 19 years ago by the former Olympic champion. Miss Y. M. Williams.

The big jump came on the sixth and final attempt and, because it was set in the under 17

competition, will also stand as a provincial record for this grade.

Miss Bumside, who will represent New Zealand in the long jump, high jump and pentathlon in next month’s Commonwealth Games, was a model of consistency throughout the competition. She recorded 5.58 m on her first attempt, and followed it with a Canterbury under 17 record leap of 5.87 m. Then came another jump of 5.87 m, one of 5.86 m and a windassisted leap of 6.09 m before the record performance.

Miss Burnside is now placed ninth in the Commonwealth rankings with this jump, which would have been good enough to win her the New Zealand championship this month. Her pending Canterbury senior record of 6.16 m (20ft 2|in) was set on her way to victory in the pentathlon championship. The existing provincial senior record of 5.88 m was held by another Commonwealth Games competitor, Miss B. Poulsen (Technical). Last evening, Miss Poulsen won the senior women’s long jump with 5.34 m (17ft 6in). The men’s long jump went

to K. Todd (Toe H) with a 7.03 m (23ft lin) — a distance which would have given him third place in the national championship.

Todd, however, made his main Games bid in the triple jump and was unlucky to miss selection after being ranked ninth in the Commonwealth.

M. Mene (Technical), the

decathlon champion, was runner-up at 6.91 m (22ft Bin). Mene also won the javelin but his 48.7 m (159 ft lOin) was well below his best. His wife, Mrs S. A. Mene (Technical), took the women’s javelin with 33.32 m (109 ft 4in). Miss J. Beckett (Technical) gained a narrow win over the Pacific Conference Games representative, Miss B. Peterson (Technical), and Miss Burnside, with 12.Isec in the 100 metres. Later in the meeting, Miss Beckett also won the 200 metres, in 24.8 sec.

The New Zealand junior champion and record-holder, M. Sutherland (UniversityShirley), won the senior 100 metres in 11.Isec, J. Thornton (University-Shirley), who was second, came out later to take the 200 metres in 23sec. This time Sutherland was second and the Commonwealth Games 800 metres representative, A. Gilmour (Technical), third.

The veteran, J. D. Macdonald, won the senior men’s 1500 metres in 4min I.9sec on a grass track which was slow after overnight rain. S. McLean (Toe H) took the 800 metres in Imin 59.8 sec from K. Silcock (University-Shir-ley).

Later, Silcock won the senior 400 metres in 53.55ec but had the limelight stolen from him by the winner of the junior race, R. Lindsay (University-Shirley). His time was 51.5 sec.