Grete Waitz to attempt world record at Q.E. II

Press, 20 January 1982, Page 38

Grete Waitz to attempt world record at Q.E. II

By

ROD DEW

A determined attempt on the women’s world record for 5000 m will be made by the brilliant Norwegian runner, Grete Waitz, in the Pan Am-Television New Zealand international track and field meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park on Saturday.

Miss Waitz, the world cross-country champion and a former world record-holder for both the 3000 m and the marathon, confirmed her intention on her arrival from Sydney yesterday with some 45 other international athletes for the New Zealand series. “I have never run 5000 m before but that is not going to worry me,” she said. “I have run a lot of 3000 m races.” The 5000 m is a relatively new event for women and the distance has not been run a lot in Europe until now. Miss Waitz, aged 28, has a special reason for wanting the record. The world time of 15min 14.7 sec was set by the British representative, Paula Fudge, in Norway in September. Miss Waitz had intended to run in the race but was forced into the spectator stands at the eleventh hour by an attack of influenza. She feels that had it not been for this she would have won the race and on Saturday she

will be out to underline this. “A lot will depend on the weather.” she said. She ran a fine 1500 m in 4min 12sec in Sydney on Monday and is satisfied that she is over the latest bout of ’flu which she caught on arrival in Australia. “I am quite happy now.” Miss Waitz held the world’s fastest marathon time for a woman until New Zealand’s Allison Roe lowered it by 14 seconds in the recent New York marathon. But she is not unduly anxious to regain it. “Women’s marathon times are going to continue to come down arid I will continue to run marathons. Maybe I will get the record back, but I am not concerned about it.” Another of the international arrivals with his eye on the world record is the world's second-ranked sprinter last year, Mel Lattany, of the United States. He ran 100 m in a startling 10.04 sec last year and he is satisfied that he has the

ability to break the world mark of 9.955ec, set by another American, Jim Hines, 14 years ago. “I am planning to improve on the record this year. If I can get into the right sort of condition the world record will fall.” However, there is little chance of this happening on Saturday. Lattany was one of two athletes who suffered slight injury when Aboriginal demonstrators charged on to the track during the 200 m at Melbourne last week. He hurt his back taking violent evasive action and collided with a rival. “It has hampered my running style,” he said. “I hope it is not a head ?wind on Saturday. Right now I don’t have the power to push through a head wind. But if the weather is hot I should be able to run a good time.” He expects to run 10.2 or 10.3 sec for the 100 m and will also contest the 200 m, the distance over which he won in the World Cup in Rome last September. His best time for this is 20.215ec and

it may well be this event in which he will run at the Los Angeles Olympics. The personable American middle distance specialist, Steve Scott, twice defeated New Zealand's John Walker in Australia and he is determined to make it three in a row when they meet over 1500 m in Christchurch on Saturday. “I am feeling fairly confident of beating John in Christchurch. But it is not going to be easy. He was very close to me last night.” Scott, the American champion who was ranked third in thte world last year, won a mile in Sydney on Monday evening in 3min 58.825. Walker was right with him at the finish, recording 3min 58.945. “None of the races from here on are going to be easy,” said Scott, who holds the United States mile record at 3min 49.685. “John is not going to want to lose in New Zealand.” Scott predicts a fast time for the 1500 m on Saturday. He expects a time faster than 3min 35s might be needed to win and believes that if he is to break Walker’s unbeaten mile record at Auckland a week later he will have to run as fast as 3min 50s. “I’m really looking forward to racing in New Zealand,” Scott said. “I wasn’t expecting to run this well this early. We will be racing head to head on Saturday.” Walker, who continued on to Invercargill with 15 other athletes for a preliminary meeting in Invercargill tonight, is also pleased with his form. He hopes that the 800 m he runs tonight will give him added sharpness. However, he remained restrained regarding his chances of beating Scott on Saturday. “I would like to think that I can beat him.

But he is a very good athlete.” He indicated that he might try different tactics on Saturday but declined to give details which might help his rival. “Both times in Australia he stole a march on me. On Saturday. I think it could go either way.” Walker is also impressed by the quality of other starters in the 1500 m. “I don't think we have ever had a stronger field assembled for a 1500 m in New Zealand.” he said. Others in the world-class field include Harald Hudak (West Germany), Dave Moorcroft (England), and John Robson (Scotland). Moorcroft is the Commonwealth 1500 m champion and will be remembered for his gold medal run in the Pacific Conference Games 5000 m in Christchurch a year ago. The outstanding 800 m runner from the Sudan, Omar Khalifa, who has come from winter training, does not expect a startling time on Saturday. But his best time of Imin 45.2 s makes him a firm favourite for the 800 m on Saturday. “I'm strong but I am not fast,” he said.

The genial New' Zealand javelin champion, Mike O'Rourke, is ready for bigger things after his Australian record throw in the javelin on Monday of 87.62 m. “I am not promising anything, but I am very pleased with the way my programme has been going. I bruised a heel in Melbourne but it will be no problem.”

The top Australian distance runner, Gerard Barrett, has elected to miss the Invercargill meeting today and he will hold hopes of a repeat of the fine 5000 m victory he scored at Queen Elizabeth Park two years ago.