Jan Bishop makes spectacular progress in Games quest

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 15

Jan Bishop makes spectacular progress in Games quest

' By

ROD DEW

For more years than she cares to recall, Jan Bishop (Technical),, has laboured in the shadow of her club-mate, the incomparable evergreen, Vai Young, in the shot and discus. But this season she has made spectacular progress and, in the shot at any rate, it is Mrs Young, the reigning national champion, who is fighting the rearguard action. So far this summer, Jan Bishop, a freckle-faced and cheerful lass, has held the

upper hand in the shot, but it was only last Saturday that she fired off the big one — sending the metal ball thudding to earth at Queen Elizabeth II Park 14.77 m from the circle. This was her personal best by half a metre and the best performance by a New Zealand athlete since the retirement of the Commonwealth Games pentathlete, Barbara Beable, nearly four years ago. Mrs Young responded with a put of 14.02 m. a very good

effort by recent standards. This exceeded her best effort at the last New Zealand championships, 13.96 m, then good enough for victory. A 14m-plus throw at this stage of the season is a sure sign that Mrs Young is not yet ready to concede victory to her younger rival. Miss Bishop, a 22-year-old bank officer, is certainly not taking anything for granted.

The big test will be in the ' New Zealand championship in Christchurch on March 7 when temperament as well as talent will be on trial. Mrs Young always seems to have something in reserve when it comes to competing at this level, which is hardly surprising when one considers that she holds the New Zealand record at 16.71 m. But Jan Bishop is certainly off to a good start. “We will just have to wait and see how it goes on the day,’’ she said. Her performance on Saturday has at least settled one thing in her mind. She intends to give the shot her chief attention. But she will not neglect the other two events she excels at, the javelin and the discus. "I am sticking with all three events. If it is a toss-up for selection for the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane next year, the selectors will be inclined to take the person who can compete in more than one event,” she explained. Miss . Bishop currently holds the New Zealand javelin title, which she won with an excellent throw of 47.10 m at Hastings earlier this year. However, she is not pleased with her form in this event. The qualifying standard for the Games of 55m is, at this stage, still a distant target. The discus remains her third event, although she claimed the silver medal behind Mrs Young this year and has been second once before. Mrs Young, already the winner of 17 national discus titles, remains at the top . of the pedestal in this and nobody is betting against her winning her eighteenth title this season and, perhaps, a place in the Commonwealth Games team. As far as Miss Bishop is concerned, her 14.77 m distance on Saturday has provided her with the key she needs to open the door to Games selection. The selection standard she has her sights set on is 15.5 m. “When the standard first came out, I did not think I

could qualify. But after Saturday it has become a reasonable target," she said. “I now have the incentive to train harder.” Miss Bishop is trained by the former Olympic Games coach, Valdemars Briedis, the man who has always stood behind Mrs Young and who has coached more national title-winners than any other person in the history of New Zealand athletics. He is very confident that Miss Bishop will break the standard in the shot in the months ahead. He appreciates that she lacks the height advantage of athletes such as Mrs Young but is satisfied that she can more than make up for this by dedication, technique and natural ability. Already, Miss Bishop has represented New Zealand with distinction. She competed in the Pacific Conference Games earlier this year and it was then that she recorded her previous best shot performance of 14.27 m. Perhaps the most important aspect of her sequence last Saturday was her consistency of performance. The 14.77 m put, in the third round, was no isolated effort. All six of her visits to the throwing circle resulted in distances of more than 14m. And it is a long time since any New Zealand athlete has achieved that. At her first attempt, the shot sailed out to 14.24 m. That was followed by 14.57 m and then the big one of 14.77 m. The fourth round produced the smallest distance, 14.06 m, followed by a throw of 14.14 m and, finally, one of 14.62 m. The 15m mark is clearly under threat. But it will not be bettered tomorrow, the second day of the A.N.Z. Bank League at Queen Elizabeth II Park. The shot is not on the programme and it will be the discus on which Miss Bishop will concentrate her efforts. The next chance for progress in the shot will be at the park next week, an event.which promises to be full of interest.