N.Z. hopes high at start of Games

Press, 19 July 1976, Page 3

N.Z. hopes high at start of Games

NZPA Montreal. Although just about all of J the Olympic Games sinceWorld War II have had a t background of strife, there : has been nothing to approach’’ the troubles which have beset . ( the twenty-first Games atl ( ■■Montreal. [ Even with the Games! opening ceremony over, J [officials are not entirely con-/ .fident that their problems are 1 over yet. | New Zealand has a grand! chance of coming out of the Montreal Games with its best: 1 record yet. 1 At Munich, the New Zea- , land team won one gold, .one], silver, and two bronze med-1, lais. The best Olympic result j was in 1964 when New Zea- ( (land won three gold and two!, [bronze medals. The New Zealand team'; manager (Mr Bill Holley) is; ■ confident of the medal-■] 'winning ability of the Mon-u treal team. “It is the best-:, prepared Olympic team ton have left New Zealand and !< our medal prospects are!) brighter than at any! ■ Olympics to date. We have ; to remember, however. that!' there has been a vast im-[i provement on world stand- I ■ aids in most sports.” If. in the unpredictable! world of sport, there is such [I a thing as a certainty, then; [Walker must be it. Although j ■he has said his chances of a' 1 gold medal have lessened!! I rather than increased with!] [Filbert Bayi’s withdrawal.!' [| few people believe him. :; I Rod Dixon is not in[. Walker's class, but he also! is an Olympic favourite and , [is confident of winning the 1 [sooom. His strongest oppon- < I ent may be his teammate, i Dick Quax, the second- 1

fastest 5000 m runner in history. Quax also rates highly 1 in the 10.000 m. New Zealand probably has: the chance this year for more ! .track and field medals than any other Olympic year —: including the days of Peter Snell and Murray Halberg — , but the medals will probably! [only come from Walker. | Dixon, or Quax. Jack Foster must rank in .the top ten in the marathon, [but he would need to pro-[ duce the race of his life to! win. Kevin Ryan would be' [seeded second of New Zealand's two marathon runners. With gold medals from [ each of the last two! Olympics, the New Zealand ; oarsmen have a hard act to 'follow. Their pre-Olympic form though has been heartening and since their arrival [in Montreal they have [looked more impressive in training. ! They have the work beihind them to win medals, but [their first object is to make [the finals of the three events: [they are contesting — the! [eights, the coxed fours, and; [the coxless fours. At Mexico City, the New. Zealand coxed four won the gold medal, and at Munich four years ago the eight, took ; the gold medal and the cox-! : less four won the silvgr. I I The New Zealand eight will have strong competition in [what is always regarded as[ .the glamour event of the! I Olympic regatta. The British 1 icrew, rowing in their “Car-; [bon Tiger,” have been able to: [sweep all before them in ai (series of recent events ini (Europe and they will prob-: [ably start favourites. [ Other highly regarded: eights entered are from Aus-j tralia —“they’ll be pretty! good” according to the New! Zealand coach Mr Rusty I Robertson—East Germany, |

- Russia, and the United States. Both fours will be compet- ’ i ing in high-class company, [with European crews [expected to be dominant. The ’[East Germans have taken the gold medals in the coxless [fours at the last two Olym[pics. and West Germany beat 1 East Germany for the gold in [the coxed four at Munich. 1 : New Zealand won gold medals in yachting in both ‘'1956 and 1964. Two crews [ I have strong chances this year —Jock Bilger and Murray ' Ross in the Flying Dutchman class, and Jonty Farmer in [the Finns. New Zealanders have [[regularly been in the top 10 in these two classes, and ’ Farmer (in 1976) and Bilger - and Ross (in 1971 and 1975) ! have been as high as second 1 in world championships. With a reasonable share of fresh 1 breezes, they could win medals. but they may ■ struggle in light airs. Undoubtedly the toughest [[competition of the Games will “be in swimming. I j At Munich there was almost a complete rewrite of ,' the record books but the ['Standard will be so high at Montreal that most finalists 1 [ will have to do better than ■ I the best achieved just four ■ years ago. i New Zealand is contesting [ 12 of the 21 Olympic, sports. [ it is not competing in basket- [ I ball, football, fencing, gym- ‘ nasties, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, archery, or [ [ volleyball. [ The tall 15-year-old Well- ! ingtonian, Rebecca Perrott, . appeals as a distinct possibility in the 400 m freestyle. I: She is swimming against ithe fastest women swimmers [the world has seen, but her I form is such over the longer .distance that she could cause la surprise.