A golden run: Tayler could not believe it had happened

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33443, 26 January 1974, Page 11

A golden run: Tayler could not believe it had happened

(By R. O. DEW) ‘"lt's just like a dream; I can hardly believe it." That was how Richard Tayler, the 25-year-old New Zealander from Winchester, in South Canterbury, described his thrilling and spectacular gold-medal win in the 10.000 metres al Queen Elizabeth 11 Park yesterday afternoon.

“The thing that worried me most was the early pace, rhe leaders went so fast that I had to let them go and hope that I could pick them up later on.”

And that was what het did — in memorable fashion. Tayler, whose winning time of 27min I6.6sec was a Commonwealth !Games and New Zealand open record, was rated only “as an outside chance" for a medal—any medal—before the I race. His decision to run the race at his own pace showed a maturity which most of his more favoured rivals lacked. Out of trouble ; As the leaders jostled one another — some were even spiked — Tayler kept safely lout of trouble. At one stage he was as much as 50 metres I behind the leading bunch land then appeared to be out I of contention. But he was not worried unduly, realising that the world record-breaking pace could!

jnot be maintained for the [full 10,000 metres. Although Tayler admitted he had felt tired near the finish, there were no external isigns of exhaustion as he I raced away from David Black, of England, over the final 250 metres. If he collapsed on the ground immediately afterwards, it was in the form of total relaxation and sheer exhilaration after his tre-[ mendous effort. of honour He was soon back on his feet to complete his lap of honour as wildly-excited spectators jumped the fence I to offer him congratulations. When he spoke to reporters a short time later, Tayler appeared perfectly composed — and capable of a few more laps of the Chevron circuit. Tayler is also entered for , the 5000 m next Tuesday but! is undecided whether he will I take his place in the field. “I will probably decide to- [

morrow,” he said. “It will depend on how well I recover from today’s race.” Last year, Tayler covered 5220 miles in training and recently had been running up Ito 150 miles a week in preparation for the Games medal bid. He said that he had been very keen to do well — but he had not thought in terms of a gold medal. Tributes paid Tayler paid tribute to the men who have been coaching him, Alistair McMurran, of Dunedin, and, in the last 18 months, Arthur Lydiard, of Auckland, the man who master-minded the goldmedal successes of Peter Snell and Murray Halberg in previous Olympic and Commonwealth Games. i “The race went just as we I (Planned, although I did not! (calculate on being quite sol I far back in the early stages.”! [ln spite of this, he ran the! [fastest first six laps of his career. The front runners began I coming back to him after the I half-way, and with eight [laps to go Tayler realised [for the first time that he had I a chance of winning a medal. “The crowd helped a tre- ; mendous lot,” he added. ; Early success The success must have[ [been of tremendous satisfac-; tion to Tayler after his fail- [ lures at Edinburgh and Mun[ich. But he showed unusual I talent from a very early age. [At one stage he was the world record-holder for a [mile by a 15-year-old with a | time of 4min 18.6 sec. In the early days his main (distances were the 880 yards! [and the mile, and he was New Zealand junior cham- [ pion over both these dis-! tances. Since then he has won the national 1500 m title and is the present champion over 10,000 m and in cross-country. He has also run a marathon in 2hr 16sec — a remarkable 'time for a runner with such, [obvious basic speed. I But yesterday’s great vic-1 itory was far . and away the I [high point of his career. Pace-setter The rapid pace at the start [ was originally set by the: Commonwealth’s third-1 ranked runner over 10,000 m, [ Tony Simmons, of England. |i Tie covered the first lap in 1

|63sec and the second in 2min [6sec. The world recordholder, .David Bedford, of England, I took over the lead through [the fourth lap, in 4min 15sec, I a time well inside world- | record pace. I Simmons started to fade, iand it seemed the race would [develop into a tussle between :Bedford and another Englishman, David Black, against the ithree Kenyans, Richard Juma, Patrick Kiingi and Paul Mose. Bustling tactics The Kenyans were clearly using team tactics in an effort to wear down Bedford. Several times they passed him and cut hard in front of him, forcing him to lose his stride. The chief culprit was Mose, whose disruptive tactics angered the crowd. When he (briefly held the lead on the (fourteenth lap, he was I loudly booed. Soon after, he 'dropped back and withdrew. But even before this, Tay- . ler was moving up. As Bed- , ford led the field through the 15000 m mark in 13min 47sec, the crowd was beginning to take notice of the curlyhaired runner in New Zealand’s black singlet. As the leading bunch coni tinned to bustle one another [about — at. one stage Bedford was forced on to the igrass and several runners .were spiked — Tayler closed I up on the leaders, pulling the [Canadian, Daniel Shaughnessy, along with him. Bedford fades With seven laps remaining, Juma went to the front and Bedford made no effort to re-pass him. Instead, Black [settled into second place. Then, when Tayler moved [past the bearded world re-icord-holder, the crowd [sensed an upset. “Tayler, Tayler,” was the chant as he closed upon the leading bunch. With three laps to go, Juma led from Black, Tayler and Bedford. But then the pace went on.i Black made his bid on the[ ■second to last lap and Tayler, (running easily, went with 1 [him. ' For almost two laps, Black and Tayler ran together before the New Zealander ac-[ (celerated on the back! [straight. Black tried to stay! with him but then the gap [widened, first one yard, then I [two, and finally Tayler was, clear. Down the finishing straight;

he increased his lead eve further and set the seal oi the success of New’ Zealand’.participation in these Games Black’s time of 27min |4B.6sec for second and Juma’s 27min 57sec for third were also inside the old Games ■record, set by the 1970 win[ner, Lauchie Stewart, of (Scotland. The last lap was completed in an incredibly fast 61sec.