Backstroke record possible

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 36

Backstroke record possible

The Commonwealth Gaines swimming would not he complete without a world record, but the chances of one being broken in Christchurch ‘will be almost nil unless the Canadian girl, Wendy Cook, breaks the women's 100 metres backstroke time this evening. Her heat time of Imin 5.19 : sec on Monday—a Games and Commonwealth record—teas only o.2sec outside the world mark set by U. Richter (East Germany) at the world championships in Belgrade last September.

A 17-year-old high school; pupil from Vancouver. Miss Cook was fifth in the 100 mi backstroke final at the! Munich Olympic Games, and) third at Belgrade. She. set a! Commonwealth record ■of Imin s.B4sec in Quebec last July. Miss Cook won her heat with ridiculous ease by tour metres from her nearest rival, but in the final she will have competition from another Canadian, Donna-Marie Gurr, who broke the Games record a tew minutes before Miss. Cook’s splendid effort. Miss Gurr is not expected to beat her team-mate, but might push her to a new world mark.

; Sonya Gray, aged .14, of; i Australia, the winner of the ! women’s 100 m freestyle,! Imight also threaten a world! |record this evening—Shane I Gould’s 200 m freestyle figure! 'of 2min 3.565ec. Her heat: jtime of 2min 5.775ec placed! iher in a class above the other [ (qualifiers, and the final could; be a case of Miss Gray; against the clock. No competitor has a[ harder assignment than I David Wilkie (Scotland), the world champion and recordholder for the 200 m breaststroke. This afternoon, he will swim against Brian Brinkley ; (England) in the 200 m indiividual medley. ! Brinkley beat him in the [British championship last

[August, and this evening he| [will compete in his speciality.! [the 200 m breaststroke. So far at the Games, Wilkie i ihas concentrated solely on! [qualifying, after a rushed’ (trip from the United States. I Today, he will have to produce fire-works. In pursuit of four gold medals at the Games, the ! Australian, Brad Cooper, will ! be out to win the 400 m free- ! style. He is one of only two swimmers in history to break 4min for the event, and he won the gold medal at Munich when the American. R. De Mont, was disqualified. In the world championships at Belgrade, Cooper was second to De Mont, and both recorded under 4min.