Top high jumper unlucky to miss Games nomination

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 18

Top high jumper unlucky to miss Games nomination

By

ROD DEW

When the 30 track and field nominations for the Edmonton Commonwealth Games were announced last week, the young Christchurch high jumper, Terry Lomax, stood at the head of the list of unlucky contenders who missed out. Lomax, only 19 and one of New Zealand’s finest field events prospects, failed by the narrowest of margins (a fifth of a centimetre) to achieve the Games qualifying height of 2.10 m. This incidentally, is the height at which he shares the New Zealand resident record with Lindsay Guthrie, of Auckland. It was a height which Lomax was confident of achieving in the summer season recently ended. He started off in fine style by representing New Zealand at the Pacific Conference Games in Canberra and then made his first serious attempt to achieve the standard at the international meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park in January. After easily clearing lower heights, he nominated 2.10 m. This he also cleared, by a considerable amount, but when the height was measured it was found to be 7.98 m. Instead of being credited with a qualifying height, the luckless Lomax was credited with 2.09 m. At the time this did not appear to be too disastrous. There was still plenty of time to qualify and there was also the prospect of the AustraliaNew Zealand test at the end of the season. Lomax concentrated on proving his versatility in a number of events. Unfortunately, while competing in the Canterbury junior long jump championship, he pulled a hamstring. This put him on crutches for several days and ruled out any further competition until the New

Zealand championships at Wellington in March. His success in winning both the senior and junior high jump titles with this background provided plenty of evidence of his ability. He won the senior title on a countback after Guthrie and another young Canterbury athlete of great potential. Kieran McKee, had all cleared 1.99 m. It was not an impressive height and this might have counted against Lomax. But conditions were not good and the take-off surface at Wellington compared most unfavourably with those at Christchurch and Auckland. The next day, Lomax showed something of his true talent when, jumping off the same hard surface, he cleared 2.06 m to equal his existing New Zealand junior record. This height was the equivalent of a jump several centimetres greater from a rubber take-off surface. After the championships. Lomax made two attempts to reach the standard but was unsuccessful. By this time, he was starting to feel the effects of a very long season and could hope for nothing more without another complete build-up. It is probably worth noting that the high jump qualifying height is one of the most difficult. For the Christchurch Com* monwealth Games four years ago. the height was only 1.95 m. Even then, New Zealand was not represented. The height which Lomax cleared this year would have put him among the high jump finalists in the Christchurch Games and a jump of 2.10 m would have put him among the best five. Gordon Windeyer (Australia) won the gold medal with a leap of 2.16 m.

Standards might have improved since then but it does seem that Lomax was unlucky not to be given at least a nomination, particularly so because two of those nominated, Noeline Hodgins (long jump) and Graeme French (sprints), achieved their standards with wind assistance. One other, Barbara Beable (pentathlon and shot), has not achieved a qualifying performance at all. There were also others, suffering from injury, who were given an extended period in which to achieve

a standard. Lomax could quite fairly have been included among these. Lomax’s coach, Alan Tucker, feels that there has been an injustice done. “If one considers Terry’s case in isolation, bearing in mind the selectors’ earlier comments that a single equalling of a standard would in no way ensure nomination,

his failure to be nominated is not altogether surprising. Some of those who have been nominated, however, are on even more shaky ground, having attained standards with wind assistance,” he said. “In the case of one nomination, the standard has not been attained, but the athlete’s performances were considered to have been hampered by injury and the previous year has been mentioned in justifying the selection. “Precisely the same reason can be used in Terry’s case. He attained the standard twice last season and this season was out of action for three weeks at a crucial stage between the international meeting (where he equalled the standard only to be denied it on a technicality) and the New Zealand championships. “Furthermore, if injury is sufficient cause to grant two athletes dispensation to make further attempts to qualify (Geoff Shaw and Michelle Green), why not be consistent and allow others such as Terry

the same opportunity,” Mr Tucker said. His comments should not be taken as criticism of the athletes who had been nominated, he said. Rather, they were intended to point out that the selectors had employed double standards. Mr Tucker said that Lomax could undoubtedly have produced a supporting height greater than 2.06 m if he had not been convinced that he had to clear 2.10 m to gain nomination. “He did not want to waste energy with intermediate heights.” There is no doubt that Lomax is potentially the best high jumper New Zealand has produced. He is satisfied that if it had not been for injury he would have lifted the New Zealand resident record this year. But even if he has been unlucky this time, there are few other young athletes in New Zealand with such a promising future. A place in the New Zealand team for the more important Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 is by no means an unreasonable target.