Comfortable qualifier

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 14

Comfortable qualifier

By

RON PALENSKI,

XZPA staff corrp'pnnden

, Montreal Fifth placing continued to haunt the .Xew Zealand steeplechaser, luiaii Robertson, yesterday but he didn't mind in the least.

Robertson qualified for 1 the final of the 3000 metres steeplechase by finishing; fifth in his heat —a placing to go with his fifths in the Commonwealth Games, the New Zealand Games, the world cross-country championships last year and both the steeplechases he ran in Scandinavia before the Olympics, “I was getting a bit sick; of being fifth all the time,”', Robertson said after his race. I “But this time I don’t mind : and I'd be delighted withl. fifth in the final on Wednes-I day.” ■ New Zealand's newest j '[Olympic finalist qualified 1 'relatively easily, running in| la modest Bmm 26.35ec, about jl'our seconds slower than the 'New Zealand record he set' in Stockholm. It was that! race which gained him his • late Olympic selection. Robertson had some ex-1, perienced runners against: him, including Dan Glans ofji Sweden. Michael Karst of; West Germany, and Tapio Kantanen, of Finland, but it was a relative unknown, al Briton. Dennis Coates, who; stole the heat. He went out into the lead early on and no-one made any attempt to catch him. Robertson was content to stay with the “big guns” and • it was only over the last couple of laps that the field I stretched out. Robertson was never in ; any danger of finishing out i lof the first six places. On theh

final lap. Anthoin Staymng-. of Britain, made efforts to .overhaul the New Zealandei. (but Robertson was not [worried. “I knew that even if he did pass me I'd still get into the final, but he sa.d after words he knew he was qualifying so he gat e up trv ing to get me,” Robertson said The New Zealand track [coach (Mr Arch Jelley) was [ecstatic with Robertson's [performance. “See how silly it would have beet: not adding him to the team." ho [said. “He's in the top 12 of it he world now." Robertson’s heat was won |by Coates, with Kanthanen [second. Glans third, Kaist [fourth and Stavnings sixth The other h n at was taken by the Polish champion. I Bronislaw Malinowski, with the world record-holder and [favourite for the gold medal. I Anders Garderud. of Sweden [in third place. Frank Baum igartl just overtook Garderud [in the straight for second, [but Garderud looked enor mously impressive. ' "He's the one 10 beat all [right,” Mr Jelley said. “He loked so good.” Garderud ran easily the whole race and did not appear to be interested tn winning the heat—just in qualifying. The steeplechase final will be run on Thursday morning (New Zealand time), short!' after Rod Dixon and Dick Quax complete their 5000 metres heats.