Olympic prospects keen to run at Q.E. II

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34041, 3 January 1976, Page 28

Olympic prospects keen to run at Q.E. II

The outstanding Otago i athletes, Stuart Melville 1 and Euan Robertson, are both keen to compete at the invitation track-and-field meeting at, Queen Elizabeth II Park on January 17 — pro-! vided they are invited. ! They made their feelings clear after competing at the park last Saturday. Both are keen to get as much strong competition as possible to help them in their bids for Olympic selection. Robertson, a New Zealand cross-country representative, left no doubt about the progress he is making as a track runner when he lowered his own New Zealand resident record for the 3000 metres steeplechase to Bmin 32.8 sec at Queen Elizabeth II Park. '1 can go faster than that, vet.” Robertson said. That he had missed the Olympic qualifying time by only .Bsec did not concern him at all. He intends to run at all the international meetings featuring the visiting Tanzanian Olympic team this month, but is disappointed that there is not a steeplechaser among the Africans. Robertson needs strong competition to bring out the best in him, according to his . coach. Mr A. McMurran. “I am Very pleased with what Robertson has done, but if he can get some strong competition I am confident he can get down to Bmin-27sec,” he said. This was the time originally set by the New Zealand

selectors as a guideline standard for the Olympic Games, later rejected by the New Zealand executive. Mr McMurran would like to see Robertson run against Nathan and Howard Healey, of Auckland. Nathan Healey won the New Zealand steeplechase title at Dunedin last season (Robertson was away with the cross-country team) and was second to his brother in the 1974 champ- ' ionship. On that occasion, Robertson was third. Robertson, too, recognises the need for more racing, but is inclined to feel that the Canterbury champion, Martin Couldwell, can provide him with all he needs. “It looks as though he might be able to give me more than enough competition,” he said. Couldwell. in only his second run of the season in a steeplechase, finished close behind Robertson on Saturday in Bmin 40.2 sec — a new Canterbury record, more than lOsec faster than his previous best.

Melville, who finished third behind John Walker (Auckland) and Bruce Hunter (Canterbury) in the invitation 800 metres on Saturday, will make his Olympic bid over 1500 metres, and is also anxious to get as much racing as possible. He was delighted with his time of Imin 49.55ec. He has run the distance faster only once before, when he won the New Zealand title at Queen Elizabeth II Park in 1973 to cement his place in the Commonwealth Games team.