Olympic bid in 800m

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 36

Olympic bid in 800m

(By

ROD DEW)

The national 400 metres hurdles champion, Rendell Mclntosh, of Christchurch, will make his bid for Olympic Games selection next year as an 800 metres runner.

•'I have a few doubts, but I would not change events unless I thought I could do it successfully,” Mclntosh said yesterday. “I just hope that time proves me right.” The lack of strong competition in the 400 metres’ hurdles in New Zealand; prompted him to make the; decision. “It is hopeless trying to reach a high standard! in the hurdles without strong’ competition. There are some' fine young hurdlers coming, through, but it will be a year’ or two before they can pro-; vide the challenge I need,; and by then it will be too, late.”

Mclntosh, the only Canterbury athlete to hold a national senior track title, said he was disappointed that such good performers as Roger Johnson (Otago), Tony Cranshaw (Auckland), and Seri Gukilau (Auckland and Fiji) had withdrawn from competition. “If they had still been runnning, I would possibly have continued with the hurdles. "Unfortunately, 1 am not an athlete who can run against the clock. 1 have always got my good times running against top-class hurdlers.”

Although he feels that he has never reached his full potential as a hurdler, he is pleased with what he has accomplished. His best time of 51.9 sec for 400 metres

hurdles, set during the Commonwealth Games last year, places him third on the New Zealand all-time ranking list behind the Olympic hurdlers ’Johnson and John Holland. Still only 22, he has worn the silver fern at both Commonwealth Games and New Zealand Games levels and, excluding his recent success at the national titles in Dunedin, has twice previously won national championships - —

once as a junior and once: as a senior — as a 400 metres! hurdler. AUSTRALIA Next month he will run in Australia with the New Zealand under 23 team, chiefly as a 400 metres hurdler. But while there, he also hopes to run in several 800 metres races as an introduction to his new programme. He is disappointed that he is the only hurdler chosen for the trip, and feels that this will not help improve the standard in the event. Mclntosh has previously shown considerable promise as an 800 metres runner. He won the Canterbury championship last year in a minor upset when other athletes were suffering from postGames doldrums. This year, although lacki ing the proper preparation, he was far from outclassed in [the specialist field to finish i runner-up to Trevor Cochrane fin the Canterbury 800 metres I championship. It was his only run over the distance this

summer. He has a best time of Imin 52sec, and has his sights set on reducing this to Imin 47sec next season. The qualifying time for the

Montreal Olympics will be about that, he expects. “It is going to mean a lot of hard work. But I am prepared to dedicate myself to it if it is going to mean a chance of representing New Zealand at the Olympics,” Mclntosh said. Much of his training from now on will be in company with Cochrane and the New Zealand 800 metres champion, Bruce Hunter (Otago), who is moving to Christchurch to live shortly. All three are being coached by the High School Old Boys coach, Mr Paul Davies.