Record eludes Kipkurgat

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 7

Record eludes Kipkurgat

John Kipkurgat, the 29-year-old Kenyan who yesterday won the Commonwealth Games 800 metres final in such splendid fashion, had only one disappointment on his golden day -he did not break the world record.

“I was running- for a world record — it was all planned,” said the man who started his athletics career as a 400 metres hurdler. “But the heats took too much out of me.”

But if Kipkurgat was disappointed by his “failure” to break the world mark of imin 43.75ec, set by the Italian, Marcello Fiasconaro, last year, he had much with which to console himself. His Imin 43.95ec finally erased the name of the great Olympic gold medallist, Peter Snell, from the Commonwealth and New Zealand record books for this distance. 12-year-old Snell’s time of Imin 44.35ec was also a world record when it was set at Lancaster Park 12 years ago. There was another notable first in yesterday’s race. It was the first time that three runners in an 800 metres event had run faster than Imin 45sec.

The runner-up was Kipkurgat’s team-mate, Mike Boit, in Imin 44.45ec. The bronze medal went to the man who promises to develop into one of New Zealand’s greatest track runners, John Walker. He recorded a personal best of Imin 44.95ec.

; Took wrong man It. was a great effort on Walker’s pan, especially as • he was marking the wrong man—Andy Carter, of England, the leader of the Commonwealth rankings before the emergence of Kipkurgat as a favourite in the heats. "The race did not go as I expected.” Walker said. “I was too far back in the early stages, but I cannot com-

plain. 1 was marking thei wrong guy. “I had seen Andy Carter run before and I thought he would come through at the finish and take me with him. But he didn’t.” 1500 m entry Walker said that he had gone into the final without I great, confidence. “After the! semi-finals, I thought I would be lucky if I even got a medal. Those were my honest thoughts.” Walker indicated that he would run in the 1500 metres —“lf I recover sufficiently. I think I will be all right.” He was particularly pleased to run so well in the 800 metres because he had been told so often that he would

:be a better 1500 metres! runner. “But I always wanted to| see what I could do in the I ‘ shorter race. Now I will be putting everything into thei ' 1500 metres,” he added. The 800 metres final was! i dominated by Kipkurgat. Although the first three- : I quarters of the race was run ■ in lanes, it was apparent even ■ then that he and Boit had gone ahead of their rivals.

Fast time

And when the field broke lanes in front of the grandstand, Kipkurgat led from Boit, Filbert Bayi (Tanzania), and the Australian, Bill Hooker. The time for the first. 400 metres was 50.8 sec —within world record schedule. Walker seemed to be right out of it. He was in sixth place and in danger of being boxed in. Afterwards, he admitted that he had been worried about his position at that stage of the race. The final lap was fiercely exciting. Kipkurgat was challenged strongly down the back straight, Boit moving up to his shoulder. But he did not have the pace or strength to go past and dropped back again. Bayi was still well placed and Walker was moving up fast.

Filial reserves

Around the final bend, the! New Zealander closed on I Bayi, who was the fastest) 1500 m runner in the world! last year, and at the entrance to the finishing straight he. called on his last reserves of! speed.

They were enough. Bayi I could not respond to the j challenge and Walker crossed ' the finishing line only feet; behind Kipkurgat and Boit.; Walker did the last 200 metres in 27.1 sec.

Kipkurgat said that he had j found the first lap very hard:

i“I felt so tired.” But he was I much improved on the second I lap. Now he is keen to make I another attempt on the world irecord. | “I am confident I can I break it,” he said. Games record

A 20-year-old blonde sec-j retary from Australia. Char-| lene Rendina, won the■ women’s 800 metres in a ? Games and New Zealand re-' cord of 2min 1.1 sec. The runner-up was Sue j Haden, of Auckland, who I:

; broke the New Zealand resiI dent record held by Sylvie • Potts with her time of 2min I 2sec. Third was the Kenyan teen-ager. Sabina Chebichi i Afterwards, Miss Rendina admitted that she preferred the 400 metres — the event ; in which she won the bronze medal on Saturday.

“I was feeling comfortable | at 600 metres and decided to ! run as hard as I could for as long as I could, because I thought that 1 might get boxed in. If that had hap pened, I knew I was gone,” she said.