N.Z. record list likely to be rewritten by Games athletes

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33434, 16 January 1974, Page 9

N.Z. record list likely to be rewritten by Games athletes

More than 500 Commonwealth Games athletes are expected to compete in the Bank of New Zealand pre-Games track and field meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park on Sunday. If those among the top Commonwealth rankings can produce anything approaching their best form then few New Zealand open records will survive the day.

Some will undoubtedly be holding something in reserve or competing outside their main event but others, conscious that this will be the last full-scale meeting before the Games begin, will be anxious to satisfy themselves that they have reached the desired level of performance.

Originally, the preGames meeting track contests were to have been held over odd distances but when it became clear that the competitors would prefer the standard events a decision to revert to these was made at the eleventh hour by the organising committee. This has added greatly to what promises to be the biggest one-day track and field meeting to be held in New Zealand. Among the events in which records seem likely to fall are the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m men’s sprints. In the men’s 100 m, the New Zealand open record stands at 10.2 sec to the credit of the Australian, E. J. Bigby. Of the athletes expected to compete on Sunday, H. Crawford (Trinidad) and G. Haskell (Australia), both come to New Zealand with times of lO.lsec behind them. Three others—G. Lewis (Australia), D. Quarrie (Jamaica) and the New Zea-land-born sprinter who will be wearing Australian colours at the Games, L. D’Arcy—have all recorded runs of 10.2 sec in recent months. Quarrie, who jointly holds the world record for 200 m at 19.8 sec, is topranked for this distance. The national record of 20.9 sec, set by M. L. Rae

(Auckland) 15 years ago, is well within his capabilities. However, if he is not prepared to run at maximum effort then there will be 16 others who are capable of running the distance in record time. One of these is the New Zealand representative, - B. D. Smith, of Wellington, who has equalled Rae’s record on more than one occasion. Smith holds the 400 m record at 46.45ec and might well be capable of reducing this himself. The top ranked competitor in this event for the Games is D. Jenkins (Scotland), who has a best time of 45.25ec, but he is likely to restrict his activities to the 200 m on Sunday. The defending Commonwealth champion, C. Asati (Kenya), and his fellow countryman, J. Sang, are among 10 Commonwealth athletes who have equalled or bettered Smith’s record. In the women’s 100 m, Miss D. Robertson (Australia), should have little difficulty dipping underneath the New Zealand record of U.4sec. She recently ran the distance in llsec. There are six others eligible to race who have equalled or bettered 11.4 sec in the last year. The women’s 200 m record might not fall quite so eas-

ily, although Miss R. Boyle (Australia), who established it at 23.25ec two years ago, is capable of running faster provided she has fully recovered from the achilles tendon injury which upset her preparation for the Games. She won gold medals in both the 100 and 200 m events at Edinburgh.

The 400 m record of 52.3 sec is another good time which should last the meeting out. This was set by Mrs J. F. Pollock (Australia) in 1972 and of the Games gold medal aspirants only Miss V. Bernard (England) comes to New Zealand with a faster time. P. G. Snell’s 800 m record of Imin 44.35ec also appears to be reasonably safe. None of the Games contenders have approached this mark, set by the great New Zealand Olympic gold medallist 12 years ago on the grass track at Lancaster Park. A. Carter (England) is top ranked with his best time of Imin 45.1 sec, although M. Boit (Kenya), the defending Commonwealth

champion, and New Zealand’s J. Walker (Auckland)

are close behind. The men’s 1500 m could develop into the glamour event of the pre-Games meeting. It is hoped that the brilliant Kenyan, B. Jipcho, and Tanzania’s F. Bayi, who is top-ranked with a time of 3min 34.6 sec, will choose this disstance. Both are capable of breaking R. P. Dixon’s record of 3min 37.35ec with ease. Boit is another possible starter. T. J. L. Quax’s recently established New • Zealand record of 7min 47.65ec for

3000 m is certain to be threatened by such acomplished distance men as P. Mose (Kenya), B. Foster (England), D. Black (England), and I. Stewart (Scotland). Jipcho. the world re-cord-holder for the 3000 m steeplechase, might well prefer this distance to the 1500 m. He is another capable of an exceptional time. D. Bedford (England), the

world record-holder over 10,000 m, is also likely to choose this event for his final shake-down before the Games. In the women’s field events, the discus record of 183 ft sin, set by the Russian Olympian, Miss T. Press, seven years ago, appears to be beyond the reach of all except Miss R. Payne (Scotland).