Mene, Callow for Games

Press, 9 June 1978, Page 24

Mene, Callow for Games

By

ROD DEW

Two athletes who have | represented Canterbury and New Zealand with distinction in recent years, Mene Mene (decathlon) and Allan Callow (road walk), (will be competing in the I forthcoming Commonwealth (Games in Edmonton after all. Callow, who competed for New Zealand in a walking contest against Australia two seasons ago, has won selection for the Isle of Man team. He returned to Britain after finishing third in the New Zealand 20km championship in March. Callow settled in Christchurch after representing the Isle of Man in the walk at the last Commonwealth (Games. He regards his departure from New Zealand ! as only temporary. Mene has been selected to represent his home country, Samoa, at the Games. Now 32, he was prevented from achieving the decathlon qualifying standard for the I New Zealand team because of injury. Samoan officials i heard of this and a fortnight

ago he was invited to Samoa to discuss the possibility of wearing Samoan colours at Edmonton. Mene has received a telephone call confirming his selection and expects official confirmation within the next few days j “It is really great,” he said yesterday. “There was a bit of ill-feeling among some officials in Samoa because I competed for New Zealand in the last Commonwealth Games. But we were able to talk things over and they saw my point of view. “Things are now looking pretty good. I am particularly proud to be chosen to represent my home country.” ! Mene has been living in (New Zealand for the last 12 (years and is a naturalised (New Zealander. He failed to (win the New Zealand decathlon title at Dunedin this I year after holding it for six (years in succession. | The title was taken by a :■ young Otago athlete, Robert jSadler, who -subsequently earned selection for the New

Commonwealth j' Games team. Mene, who had been building up specifically for an ( i attempt to gain Games selec- , ■ tion, was handicapped, first 11 by a back injury and later by J the recurrence of an old knee .injury. The knee injur,' 5 forced him to withdraw from t (the New Zealand championI ship he was favoured to win i earlier this year. t| In spite of these problems, / Mene managed to -win "the v Canterbury decathlon cham-

pionship for a record seventh time this year. Unfortunately, his best score was well below his best of 7032 points. But he is now confident that all is well, physically, and that he will be able to make a bold showing at Edmonton. Mene’s training, under the guidance of the former New Zealand Olympic Games coach, Mr Valdemars Briedis, has been progressing so well that he is now confident that he can continue. One of his main aims next season is to regain the New Zealand title. Mene has already represented Samoa at three South Pacific Games, the last in 1971 at Tahiti. He also expects to represent Samoa in the next South Pacific Games in Fiji next year and in Samoa in 1981. Mene is the only athlete in the Samoan team, which will also include four boxers, four weight-lifters, and seven bowlers. He plans to arrive in Edmonton in the middle of next month to make "his final preparations.