Olympic gold or ‘bust'

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 32

Olympic gold or ‘bust'

r By ].

JAMES SHRIMPTON,

through N.Z.P.A.)

SYDNEY. ; It's an Olympic gold]' medal or “bust” for the ' Australian freestyle I swimming star, Graham Windeatt. It might be both. i i Windeatt, who is 21, esti- I mates he will spend up to i $7OOO in his attempt to win < the Olympic 400 metres I championship in Montreal 1 next July. Recently he sold his pride 1 and joy. a luxury sports car, i

[for $6500 to finance a trip to [Canada to train under his old 'mentor, Don Talbot, now [coaching at Thunder Bay, Ontario. Like a number of other Australian Olympic prospects now studying or working overseas, Windeatt will have to return to Australia in February for the Australian championships, after which the squad for Montreal will be selected. Then it’s back to Thunder Bay — assuming Windeatt makes the Olympic team.

“I am resigned to the fact I will be broke when it’s all over,” says Windeatt, who has been given nine months leave of absence from his employer, a Sydney swimwear manufacturer. Talbot coached Windeatt from his primary-school days — and Windeatt is looking ito him to help him improve ion the silver medal he won at (the 1972 Olympic Games in (Munich.

Windeatt says he will : embark on a radical training plan which involves less dis- ■ tance work and a maximum of sprints, a programme used by several leading American swimmers, including the world record-breaker, Tim Shaw. Other Australian medal] hopes are already, in North! America studying at univer-1 sity and enjoying the stiff I competitive swimming which] they miss in Australia. They' include the long-distance star,! Steve Holland, now 17, who! has been with the Mission. Viejo Nadadores team in Cali-j fornia. ! Holland’s aim, apart fromi (an Olympic gold medal, is to (recapture the world 800 (metres and 1500 metres! {records from Shaw. i But while Windeatt and! (Holland are well on their way! •to leading the Australian! {men’s assault on Olympic; swimming medals, Australia’s] {leading girl swimmer, Jenny, Turrall, has suffered several {setbacks early this new sea- ! son. i Miss Turrell, who is 16, and • (Australia’s only gold medallist • (at the world championships in Colombia this year, first (sprained an ankle, then suf- 1 (fered strain in both shoulders. She is having an hour’s ] daily physiotherapy, has been]! barred from early-season club! I races, and has confined her it training to medium-pace 11 work-outs with no “stress”! sessions. Her coach, Forbes Carlisle,] 1 admits that the injuries are It a worry’ at the start of a vital ] < pre-Olympic season. “I just cannot say whenji she will be right again,” he said. “Some day’s she seems < to be on the road to recovery, i but the next day she is not 1 so good. We just hope the problem will disappear soon.” 1 Under an enlarged new ' Olympic training programme, 1 the Australian team will t spend six weeks next May and June at a training camp in north Queensland.

Rowing venue sought.—The president of the New Zealand Rowing Association (Mr D D. E Rowlands) will leave tor North j America tomorrow. During a ‘business trip he will look for a training venue for the New* Zea-; .land Olympic rowing team next; r •year.