I don’t say that I will win, but I will be trying — Bayi

Press, 12 August 1978, Page 14

I don’t say that I will win, but I will be trying — Bayi

A Canadian newspaper journalist waited for more than five hours at the Commonwealth Games village on the University of Alberta campus yesterday in the hope of gaining an exclusive interview with the holder of the world 1500 m record. 24-vear-old Filbert Bavi. of Tanzania.

[ From ROD DEW T in Edmonton

The reporter returned to his office with nothing to show for his efforts. Bayi, who held off John Walker to win the gold medal in the 1500 m at Queen Elizabeth II Park four years ago. has avoided the limelight in Edmonton. He has come with one objective — to retain his 1500 m title tomorrow morning (N.Z. time) and prove that he is not yet ready to become one of the forgotten champions of international athletics. His desire for privacy as he makes his final preparations is being enforced by Tanzanian officials. The Tanzanian team members are almost the only ones who do not have their names on their bedroom doors in the village and the team commandant has advised journalists that they cannot interview Bayi “because we have orders from home." But Bayi still has fond memories of New Zealand, in spite of the African boycott which all but wrecked his career, and he has not forgotten the people he met: in two visits to Christchurch. When I approached him in the village after a training run. he was more than happy to talk about his hopes for the final tomorrow. “I am feeling good," he

said. “I am confident that 1 lam ready. I don’t say that I ■ will win, but I will be tryling.’’ He was feeling particularly pleased, having just ran a 1200 m time trial in ! 2min 51s on a nearby allweather track. He is disappointed that Walker will not be in the field but still regards the task ahead as a difficult one. Wilson Waigwa (Kenya), he considers, will be one to watch. Waigwa holds top ranking with a best time of 3min 35.75. But Bayi. who has been a little inconsistent in recent months, gained a big boost when he won the a 11-African Games 1500 m in 3min 36.215, the second-fastest time recorded this year. Waigwa was a close second in 3min 36.485. “I had a cold which affected my breathing and the track was very soft. I did not expect to run so fast,” Bavi recalled. “It 'was very pleasing.” Waigwa chased Bayi all the way to the finish. And

that could be the way it will go tomorrow in the Games final. But it will be more than a two-man race. Frank Clement (Scotland), who holds third ranking with his best time of 3min 36.75, is a definite threat to the two Africans and so is his Scottish team-mate, John Robson. He has a best time of 3min 36.85, which puts him fourth on the ranking list. English observers are expecting big things of David Moorcroft, who has spent a lot of time living and training in New Zealand over the last two years. There are two other Kenyans in addition to Waigwa — Kipsubai Koskei and Richard Tuwei. Both have the advantage of preparation at high altitude and could surprise. Rod Dixon (New Zealand), a bronze medallist over this , distance at the Munich Olympics, is running, too. And he cannot be discounted | even if his chief event these da vs is the 5000 m. The second New Zealand

entrant is the national 800 m champion, Dennis Norris. He missed a place in the 800 m final and might have difficulty surviving the 1500 m heats today. But it is Bayi, now a captain in the Tanzanian Army, who will start as the most favoured runner. He has, he says, changed his style of running. His tactical approach has matured. “If I run very fast on the first lap, there are others who can now stay with me. I now run at my own pace and I don’t worry about anything else.” That does not mean he will start slowly and build up to a climax as his rivals usually do. He will start fast and run to an exact schedule. But if anybody else wants to run faster in the early stages, he will let them go. It will be surprising if anybody does. Bayi, looking trim and determined, is capable of winning his country's only gold medal of the Edmonton Games. If he fails, he will do so with the consolation that his name will stay in the world record books. The pro-turf track in Edmonton is hard and not liked by the runners. It will be surprising, indeed, if Bayi’s world record of 3min 32.2 s is seriously threatened tomorrow.