Tait’s discus effort well below best

Press, 14 August 1978, Page 18

Tait’s discus effort well below best

The advancing years have finally caught up with the New Zealand discus champion, 38-year-old Robin Tait. He was well below his best in the Commonwealth discus competition on Saturday. Although he tossed out an encouraging throw of 55.22 m at his first attempt, he was unable to improve on this, finishing fourth. Borys Chambul, a 25-year-old Canadian with a powerful physique, replaced Tait as the Commonwealth champion. He recorded 59.48 m on his first attempt and this would have been good enough to win comfortably. But on his third attempt he extended his distance to 59.70 m, outside the Games record of 63.08 m which Tait set four years ago but a good effort, nevertheless. For a time it looked as if Tait might claim one of the minor medals. He was second after the first round. In the third round, he dropped to

third W’hen Bradley Cooper (Bahamas) heaved the platter 55.30 m. Cooper consolidated his position with a throw of 57.30 m at his next attempt. Even then, the bronze medal appeared to be within Tait’s grasp as the contest neared its end. However another Canadian, Robert Gray, achieved 55.48 m on his fifth attempt to push him off the victory rostrum. Bruce Simpson (Canada) cleared 5.10 m to win the pole vault on a count-back from the defending champion, Don Baird (Australia). Baird, his right thigh heavily bandaged, made at attempt at 5.30 m but failed narrowly. The winning height equalled the Games record set by Mike Bull (Northern Ireland) eight years ago.

Bull, the silver medallist at Christchurch, was again in the field but this time he failed to clear the starting height of 4.80 m. Loma Booth (England) won the women’s 100 m hurdles title in the Games record time of 12.985. She was never headed. Shirley

Strong (England) was second. Gail Wooten (New Zealand) was fifth in 13.775.

England gained another gold medal when Susan Reeve won the women’s long jump after a very keen tussle with Erica Hooker (Australia) and Marcia Griffith (Guyana). Reeve achieved her winning distance of 6.59 m on her fourth attempt but was under pressure until the final round had been completed. Hooker jumped 6.58 m and Griffith 6.52 m. Afterwards, Reeve said she had injured a hamstring last Saturday and has seen nothing but the inside of the physiotherapy room since then. Only when she jumped 6.12 m .in her qualifying round did she think she had a chance. The Commonwealth and Games records were broken in the women’s high jump. Katrina Gibbs (Australia) unexpectedly out-jumped the favourite, Debbie Brill (Canada), to win with a new record height of 1.93 m. Brill also broke the old Games record with her best leap of 1.90 m.

FFrom ROD DEW 1 in Edmonton