Gold at the end of two great swims for N.Z.

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33444, 28 January 1974, Page 7

Gold at the end of two great swims for N.Z.

U I thought a four or five-second improvement was possible in the final, but not 13sec,” said Mark Treffers. “I tried to stay with them knowing 1 had a heller time over 100 metres,” said Jaynie Parkhouse.

These were the comments of New Zealand’s gold medal pair after their memorable successes in the swimming pool on Saturday.

Treffers, a tall, quietlyspoken 20-year-old law student at Canterbury University, caused the greater surprise by winning the 400 metres individual medley final.

In the process, he beat the favourite, Brian Brinkley (England), and also broke Brinkley’s Commonwealth record.

Miss Parkhouse’s gold medal in the 800 metres freestyle was a surprise, too, but not to the same extent. She had shown the previous evening in the heats that she might be a medal prospect by qualifying for the final, in a' time 25sec faster than her previous best.

Longer, better As the race drew on, and she was able to stay with the three Australian girls — Jenny Turrell, the world record-holder, Rosemary Milgate and Sally Lockyer — Miss Parkhouse’s chances increased. She had faster sprint times over 100 metres than the Australian girls, and it was this superior ability which carried her to the gold.

Treffers qualified fifth fastest for the final on Friday evening and was given only an outside chance of a medal, even by his team manager, Mr D. F. Gerrard — New Zealand’s last swimming gold medal winner, at Jamaica in 1966.

More than stayed “We discussed his chances before the start of the race jand picked Brinkley as the one to beat. We thought if Mark was with the leaders at the end of the breaststroke leg, he would have a chance in the final freestyle leg,” Mr Gerrard said. But Treffers was more than with the leaders — he was the leader, and by two body lengths. By this stage the almost capacity crowd sensed a gold as Treffers sustained his magnificent swim and drew further away from ' Brinkley, whom he had passed in the breaststroke I leg. As he turned for the final 500 metres, three lengths clear, the crowd erupted, and as they had done the previous day with Richard Tayler, cheered Treffers to the finish, reaching a crescendo las he touched.

He turned, and looked about to see Brinkley and Raymond Terrell finishing second and third, four lanes away, and a broad smile crossed his face. Then he turned to the electronic scoreboard and the smile became bewildered and disbelieving as he saw his time. He had broken the Commonwealth, Commonwealth Games, and New Zealand records, and in the space of one day — his heat and final — had improved his time for the event by an incredible 20sec. His winning time of 4min 35.905ec was only 4.91 sec outside the world record set by Gary Hall in the American Olympic trials at Chicago in 1972.

Weakest strokes Treffers was completely (composed at the news con-; I ference held afterwards. “I tried to swim the event; as I usually do. I was con-! centrating on my backstroke and breaststroke, which have been the weakest of the four strokes,” he said. Until he returned from the world swimming championships in Belgrade in September he had swum very few .medley events, but his trainj ing had been altered to in- ; elude medley work. | “I didn’t know how I was going until I finished,” Treffers said. “Halfway through II the breaststroke I thought 1

had a chance of a medal, and the crowd was really great for the last 150 metres. They made me push myself.’’ Mr Gerrard said the training Treffers had been doing for the 1500 metres freestyle had given him stamina for the medley. Three records were broken in the swim. Treffers im-

proved Brinkley’s Commonwealth record set in August last year by o.39sec, and the Commonwealth Games record established by the Canadian, Paul Hughes, in the heats, by ■ 8.1 Isec. But the record that took: The greatest pounding was! John McConnochie’s New; [Zealand time, which Treffers! lowered by 11.4 sec. Crucial stages At the end of the butterfly leg, reached in 59.Isec, Brinkley was leading, with Treffers Terrell and Jim Fowlie (Canada) within a length of each other.

The backstroke and breast--stroke legs were crucial. Treffers was about two lengths ; behind Brinkley and had cut: [it to one at the end of thel first. Brinkley tired to a crawl; in the last 25 metres of the breaststroke, enabling Treffers to catch him and lead by a length as they turned for + froocftrln lan

the freestyle leg. i The New Zealander went -further ahead with every! (stroke. Brinkley had nothing [to challenge with and Treffers responded to the cheers [ [with a valiant sprint in the; [last 25 metres, touching seven! metres clear of Brinkley.