Visiting athletes praise Q.E. II Park

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33422, 2 January 1974, Page 14

Visiting athletes praise Q.E. II Park

The Commonwealth Games facilities at Queen Elizabeth II Park were praised, by leading United States Masters (veteran) athletes who competed against Canterbury veterans there on Monday afternoon.

Some of the visitors are former Olympic representatives. The photograph shows some of the runners during a warm-up lap. The leader, Mr W. Hargus, a consulting engineer from: San Diego, said: “The shape, : colour and appearance of the building is the best we have seen on our tour of North America, the United Kingdom and Europe. “That is with the exception of the London Crystal Palace and the Olympic stadium at Helsinki.” He said most of the visiting veteran athletes had toured and competed throughout Britain and Europe at the time of the Munich Olympic Games. The veterans are here after having visited Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Melbourne, Fiji and Honolulu on their tour.

On Monday they competed against Canterbury (over 40) veterans from six clubs, over 200, 400, 1500, and 5000 metres.

A sizeable crowd in the main stand applauded during an astonishing burst of easy speed by a 60-year-old runner in the 200 metres sprint.

He was Mr R. Niblock, a former United States Olympic sprint representative. He was narrowly beaten by a fast and very fit Christchurch Harrier Club runner, R. Flaus, into third place. Flaus is nearly 20 years younger.

The winner was R. Heseltine (Olympic). W. Hobbs (Olympic) was a strong winner in the 1500 metres race. Hobbs was only a second outside the over-45 record for Australia and New Zealand with a time of 4min. 39sec.

The Canterbury crosscountry veteran champion C. F. Reece (New Brighton) and the Sydney-to-Melboume record breaking runner, D. G. Cameron (Baptist), dominated the 5000 metre race. They came first and second.

After the meeting the visitors were entertained by the New Brighton athletics club at their club headquarters at Keyes Road, New Brighton. There they inspected the all-weather track where the international veteran track and field meeting will be held just before the Commonwealth Games on January 21 and 22.

The tour had been organised by the director of the United States masters track organisation, Mr D. H. R. Pain, a prominent San Diego lawyer.

He said about 10,000 veteran runners competed regularly in North America where doctors’ encouraged the sport as a means of preventing heart attacks. Yesterday the party ran on the Summit Road and visited the Sign of the Takahe and the Sign of the Kiwi.

The party of 52 left this morning for a tour of the (Mount Cook and Southern .Lakes area.