Newton bows out with no-total

Press, 7 August 1978, Page 30

Newton bows out with no-total

NEVIM TOPP

i ......

A no-total by George i Newton in the clean and; jerk section of the feather-; weight (60kg) division of the; Games weight-lifting com-i petition ended any possi-1 oility of a medal for New) Zealand yesterday morning j (N.Z. time). Weighing in at 59.55kg' alongside Darrell Schultze,? of Canada, as the heaviest in i the grade, Newton was placed third behind Ivan Katz (.Australia) and Michel Mercier (Canada) at the end of the snatch. But Newton failed in his I three attempts to lift 127.5 kg in the clean and jerk, so ending his career, which spanned five Commonwealth Games. Mercier came from behind) to take the gold medal from) I. Katz, after the latter held the lead in the snatch with a lift of 107.5 kg, breaking the Games record of 105.0 kg set in Edinburgh in 1970.

Katz failed to lift 132.5 kg in his second lift in the ! clean and jerk section, and | Mercier made sure of his i third lift with the same i weight to take the lead. It | was then the turn of Katz to attempt the same weight but his lift was disallowed by , the judges, and he had to be 1 content with the silver medal. Victor Daniels (England) ; also no-totalled in the clean and jerk, and Schultze took the bronze medal for Canada. j Newton attributed his failure to lift the 127.5 kg weight on his inability to concentrate on a particular spot in the auditorium once le had got the weight up tc his chest.

“I couldn’t find a place to look, to concentrate on for this lift.”

“The place (auditorium) is so wide open and looking out is like looking into the middle of the night.

“The noise at the back of the auditorium did bother me a little but it is a poor excuse for missing out. “I for one am not disappointed, but my training partners and those back in New Zealand will be,” Newton said.

This is the last Games for Newton, who has decided to retire and devote more time to his family. But he will help m coaching he said. Other New Zealand lifters to no-total include John Bolton at the 1972 Olympics at Munich, and Philip Sue at Montreal in the 1976 Olympics. according to Bruce Cameron, a team office (and 'ormer lifter) with the New Zealand side.