Sprint doubles to Quarrie, Boyle; bronze for Smith

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 8

Sprint doubles to Quarrie, Boyle; bronze for Smith

The fastest man in the Commonwealth the quietly-spoken Jamaican student. Don Quarrie —- comfortably won the 200 metres final at Queen Elizabeth 11 Park vesterday to claim his second gold medal of the Games.

He was well-placed coming into the finishing straight, and outpaced his closest rival. George Daniels. of Ghana, to break the tape in 20.7 sec — a New Zealand open record.

Third place went to Bevan Smith, of New Zealand, in 21.1 sec. a time two-tenths of a second outside his personal best.

It was a great moment for Smith, who had had hopes of winning a medal in the 400 metres. “I am pretty happy,” he said after yesterday’s race. He says he has no special plans for the future but envisages no serious racing for a while. In the meantime his concentration will switch to the 4 x 400 metres relay, the last i event of the Games on Sat-; urday. “New Zealand has got I a great chance of a medal in this,’’ he said.

Heats

Performances in the two semi-final heats of the 200 metres earlier yesterday had suggested a different result from the eventual one. Greg Lewis, of Australia, won the first in 20.955ec, and the! highly favoured Scotsman, David Jenkins, and John Mwebi (Kenya), the silver medallist in the 100 metres, shared second place in 21sec. The second semi-final was won by Daniels in 21sec, with Quarrie content to run second in 21.1 sec. Smith appeared to be working hard for his third placing in 21.2 sec.

Clear win But in the final, Quarrie, the joint world record-holder for the distance with a time of 19.8 sec, again rose to the occasion. At the finish he was a clear winner, and

I Daniels was just as obviously ; second. Final burst ; Third place was very much : in doubt as the three chief Icontenders — Smith and the | two Australians. Lewis and i Graham Haskell — flashed across the finishing line three abreast. “I thought I was fourth,” an elated Smith said afterwards. But the judges thought

otherwise and awarded him his first bronze medal. Smith looked very much a medal prospect during the race. He was up with the leaders coming off the bend. He faded a little down the straight but threw in a final burst that carried him home for the bronze.

Two of the highly-favoured European runners, Jenkins and the Englishman. Chns Monk, finished sixth and seventh, respectively, and Mwebi, who looked a very strong prospect in the semifinals, was last.

200 m women

The women’s 200 metres final was won by the 22-year-old blonde-haired Australian, Raelene Boyle—the sprint double for her, too. Raelene’s time of 22.55ec equalled the Commonwealth record which she already held, and broke the Games record by six-tenths of a second. It also bettered the New Zealand open record. The runner-up was another Australian, Denis Robertson, in 22.75ec, and third was Alice Annum, of Ghana.

Record equalled

New’ Zealand’s only finalist, Wendy Brown, finished sixth in a blanket finish with three others, but she had the satisfaction of equalling the New Zealand resident record of 23.45ec held by Penny Hunt. Miss Boyle said later: “I seemed to take off so slowly. 1 kept telling myself I had to relax. I didn’t feel I was moving on the bend.”

Before the Games her participation was in doubt because of an achilles tendon injury. “It has been a hard road coming back, but I have got more confidence now,” she said.

‘Losing speed'

The defending champion, she now turns her sights on Montreal, the venue for the next Olympic Games. But [the fastest girl in the Comis worried that, i she might be losing speed. “If I lose any more I might have ‘to go up to the 400 metres. I [have been toving with the [idea,” she said. i Her tally of medals after y esterday’s fine win stands at [five gold in Commonwealth (Games and three silver in Olympic competition.