Back injury puts sprinter out for rest of season

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 32

Back injury puts sprinter out for rest of season

By

ROD DEW

The Canterbury 109 and 400 metres sprint recordholder, Trevor Cochrane (Ashburton), will be unable to compete seriously again this season because of a stress fracture of a vertebra in the back. The injury prevented him defending his Canterbury 400 m title less than a fortnight ago and has forced him to give up all ideas of contesting the New Zealand championships at 'Wellington next month. “Things were starting to look good for me,” the 27-year-old Cochrane saidl “1 won the sprints in the triangular meeting against Otago and Southland, and in the Dorrie Leslie meeting against Wellington. Now I am finished for the season.; All I can do is rest. It isL very disappointing.” h

i Cochrane, who has conI centrated on the 800 m in reIcent seasons, reverted to the

sprints this summer and was delighted with his progress. He found that the stamina : training, which had been [ necessary for the 800 m, had ; not stripped him of his basic ■ speed and he was keen to : try and regain his Canter- ; bury titles over 100 and : 200 m and retain the 400 m ' '’hampionship. i However, after running in ' a heat of the 400 m chamI pionship less than a fort- | night ago, he decided there | was no point in continuing. i At first he thought he was I suffering from a leg muscle I injury. But an X-ray examination revealed that this was a reaction to a stress ? racture in his back. He has been told that it will be two or three months -I before he can train seriously •- again. But he is already el making plans for a winter

build up starting in June or July. Cochrane is one of the few 7 athletes to have -won every Canterbury championship from 100 m to 800 m. Others have stepped up to the middle distances from the sprints before but none have returned to the sprints afterwards. Cochrane is determined to show that this is possible. “It is all there, just sitting and waiting,” he said of his speed. Cochrane set the Canterbury 100 m record of 10.5 s five years ago. His 400 m record of 47.1 s was set the same year. He represented New Zealand in the Christchurch Commonwealth Games as a 200 m and 4 x 400 m relay sprinter.