N.Z. girls shine

Press, 29 August 1977, Page 30

N.Z. girls shine

Encouraging performances by the New Zealand girls in the international ski-ing races at Thredbo last week led the team manager. Mr John Morris, to comment yesterday that the trip to Australia was ‘‘very worthwhile.”

“The girls completely dominated the Australians, except in the downhill, and if Anna Archibald had not fallen In that event she might have gone very close to Joanne Henke,” said Mr Morris when the team arrived back in Christchurch.

The 19-year-old Swedish girt, Jill Wahqvist, won both Thredbo Cup races—the giant slalom and slalom—on Saturday but on both occasions New Zealand girls filled second and third places.

On Friday Julia Allison finished second with Miss Archibald third and these placings were reversed in the slalom on Saturday.

Mr Morris said that he was particularly pleased with Miss Archibald’s performance in the second run of the slalom when she finished only 2sec behind the Swedish girl. “The girls did very well but the boys didn’t show up to the standard they had reached in New Zealand before they left with Scott Kendall and Jeremv Light both having various sorts of flu,” he said

“Warwick Brown was very consistent and Julian Morris had good and bad patches.’’ The Swedish team swept all before them in the slalom when the Thredbo Cup concluded on Saturday with Ingemar Stenmark winning the men’s event and Miss Wahqvist the women’s race. Kendall, who finished ninth, and Brown (twelfth) were the best New Zealanders in the field of 41. Morris and Light, who was

still very weak after his illness, did not finish. Miss Wahqvist beat Miss Archibald by 5.365ec in the two runs of the women’s slalom with Julia Allison just four-tenths of a second further back. The other New Zealand women racers. Fiona Johnson and Margot Smith, did not finish the course but Miss Johnson was hopeful yesterday that thie was "the last of my falls for the season.” Results; Men’s slalom.—l. Stenmark (Sweden). 51.23. 45.33, 1:36.5fi. 1; T. Jakobssen (Sweden). 53.23, 44.80. ! :38 03, 2; O. Kodoma (Japan), 53.45, 46.21, 1:39.6«. 3; S. Strand (Sweden). 53.61 46.80, 1:40.41, 4; S. Kendall (N.Z.), 59.16, 52.52, 1:51.68, 9; W. Brown (N.Z.). 59.27. 51.10, 12. J. Morris and J. Light (both N.Z.), did not finish 77. red bo Cup combined.—Sten ;mark, 0.00. 1; Jakobssen. 11.84. 2; Strand, 53.92. 3; D. Burgess (Australia), 126 45, 4; Kendall, 158.68. 5: Brown. 159.51. 6. Women’s slalom.—J. Wahqvist (Sweden). 48 76 . 48.10. 1:36.86. 1: A. Archibald (N.Z.). 52 08 . 50.14. 1:42.22, 2: J. Allison (N.Z ). 5193. 50.67. 1:42.62 . 3; J Altermatt (Australia). 53.53, 52.15. 1:45.68. 4: F. Johnson and M. Smtfh (N.Z.) did not finish. Thredbo Cup combined —Wahnvlst. 0.00, 1; Allison, 75.63. 2; Archibald. 87.48. 3; Altermatt. 115.49. 4. Rugby.—FlJl Combined Services beat New Zealand Police 9-6, in a rugby match at Wellington. Soccer.—Les Cocker, assistant to the former England soccer manager. Don Revie, has resigned. the Football Association announced in London.