Nagging problem dogs long jumper’s steps

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 22

Nagging problem dogs long jumper’s steps

By

ROD DEW

For the last two years Evan Peterson, of Canterbury. has been one of New Zealand's foremost long jumpers. He wore the silver fern with distinction in the Pacific Conference Games earlier this year, but a shadow has fallen over his future as a long jumper. A tendency for his feet to twist awkwardly on take-off and landing has placed great strain on tendons in the lower part of his legs, often preventing him producing his best. Recurring leg injuries have already resulted in several long jumping pauses, and he is currently restricting himself to sprints while the latest injury repairs itself.

However, he is not despondent about the future. The cause has been put down to what he calls “a birth defect,” which causes the twist on take-off and landing. “It did not become obvious until I started long jumping seriously. But now I know what the problem is, it is simple to fix.”

Peterson is now wearing specially built-up shoes, even when he is running, and is hopeful that when he resumes long jumping, there will be no further difficulties. When this will be he is uncertain, but he is keen to contest the long jump in the A.N.Z. Bank inter-club league which begins on November 14.

In the meantime, he is concentrating on sprinting, with no little success. Last Saturday he recorded a very smart 10.8 win over 100 m. This was a personal best, although he had previously recorded the same time with wind assistance.

”1 am really pleased." he said. “I haven’t done a great deal of speed work yet." His hope is to reduce his best 100m»time to 10.6 s this summer, which would help his long jumping considerably. “The faster the run-up. the’ longer the jump," he says.

Peterson, aged 20, has already shown outstanding ability in the long jump. The event in which he stands an excellent chance of winning selection for the Brisbane Commonwealth Games next year.

He won the New Zealand junior title last year, beating Stephen Walsh (then representing Otago), who has since become New Zealand's topranked performer in this event. Walsh won the senior title last year after a superb tussle with Peterson. At the time, both were still juniors. This year, Walsh won a second time, and Peterson was again a close second. Both competed for New Zealand at the Pacific Games. Peterson had the better of their early tussles and he holds the New Zealand junior record of 7.34 m. But injury

problems have handicapped him in recent times, giving Walsh a slight edge. Peterson’s best is 7.48 m. set in the season before last. He puts his apparent lack of recent progress down to more than just the injury problem. 'I had a lot of technical problems last year. Everything went wrong, but I learnt a lot," he said. “Basically. I wasn't doing the right sort of training. I wasn’t putting enough effort into my training either." Even so, Peterson did have the small consolation of an unofficial leap of 7.90 m. Had he not hit the board badly this would have put him in front of Walsh at the head of the national rankings. “This was encouraging, but everybody can tell a story such as this," he said.

Walsh is now living in Auckland and this summer is already setting the pace. He recently proved a considerable threat to the New Zealand spring champion, Shane Downey, over 200 m. Walsh ran 21.7 s and Downey had to call on all his undoubted ability to win the race, Walsh, who is the same age as Peterson, has also achieved a long jump of 7.67 m this summer, so he is already reasonably certain of selection for the Commonwealth Games team. The qualifying distance is only 7.65 m. .

“He has certainly got the inside running at the moment,” Peterson said. However, the tall Christchurch student is by no means ready to accept second place. And even if his injury problems rule out a serious bid for the Games team as a long jumper, then he will try for selection as a sprinter, or maybe even as a 400 m hurdler. Peterson is a natural allrounder and it is quite obvious that he can turn his hand to a wide variety of events

and do well at any level, in the sprints, he is currently the top man in Canterbury and he is eagerly looking for strong competition. So far this summer, he is unbeaten, but this is not entirely satisfactory. “I want competition. I enjoy winning, but you don't improve." He cannot afford the luxury of flying to Auckland for regular strong competition, but he is hoping that the ’ reigning Canterbury sprint champion, Joe Leota, will return from Dunedin soon and provide the close rivalry he needs so badly. Whether he can lower his times to the point where he can seriously challenge sprinters such as Downey remains unknown. But if the long jump is ruled out by injury, then it is probable that he will try out in the 400 m hurdles, an event regarded by many as one of the most physically demanding on the track programme. Because of this, Peterson is not prepared to turn seriously to this until his other options have been eliminated.

At this stage, he remains confident that his main Commonwealth Games selection bid will be in the long jump. And his accomplished coach. Valdemars Briedis. is keeping all his fingers crossed. Neither Mr Briedis nor Peterson hold any doubts at all over his ability to better the Games qualifying distance by a substantial margin. The New Zealand championships this season will be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park on March 6 and 7. The meeting will be virtually a trial for the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team and it should take no more than a solid performance from Peterson to cement his selection. However, it is unlikely that he will be satisfied with anything less than a convincing reversal of the result of last summer's long jump championship.