Canterbury hurdler aiming for fast time

Press, 5 March 1982, Page 17

Canterbury hurdler aiming for fast time

By

ROD DEW

Attempting to achieve world-class times without the benefits of regular strong competition can be frustrating, and no-one is more

aware of this than the outstanding Canterbury 400 m hurdler, Wayne Paul.

He has run a dozen or more 400 m hurdles events this summer in his quest for a Brisbane Commonwealth Games qualifying time. But only a person with a vivid imagination could describe these as. races. More often than not, Paul has run on his‘ own against the clock or, in sheer desperation, erected hurdles in one lane of a flat 4(M)m race and placed himself against the flat sprinters. Considering all this, his times have been remarkable. If he has so far failed to achieve the Games qualifying standard of 51.145, it has been by a very narrow margin. Several times , he has been close to breaking the 52s mark', and he has not given up yet. Probably the last and best chance he will have will be in the New Zealand championship at Queen Elizabeth II Park tomorrow. There he will finally cross swords with the Auckland hurdler, Murray Cumberpatch, who won the national title last year in a sizzling 51.63 s and subsequently lowered his best time to 51.35.

They have not 'met since the last national championship when Paul finished a worthy third behind Chris Strange (Auckland). Paul had hoped for a rematch earlier this season but Cumberpatch went to Australia for several months to try and. improve his own performance and when he did return in time for the international meetin; A

in .uckland in there was no 400 m hurdles race included in the programme.

Cumberpatch must be favoured to win tomorrow, although no-one can be certain exactly what Paul can achieve with the help of strong competition and the incentive of a first national title. One man convinced Paul can qualify for the Games is his coach, Mr Eric

Rowe. “l am certain he will do it. If he had had the right opportunities, he would have done it long ago.”

Also in the field will be a former Canterbury hurdler, David Long, now competing for Auckland. He is a former national champion and still capable of a 52s run. ' Another Canterbury athlete hoping for big things this week-end is Evan Peterson, currently ranked second in the long jump to Stephen Walsh, of Auckland. These two have been rivals since they first met in junior ranks. In the early -days, Peterson had the edge. More recently, Walsh has "held the advantage as Peterson has struggled with ankle problems.

Walsh, who has the benefit of a Sports Foundation grant, has already bettered the Games qualifying standard of 7.65 m. Peterson, still building up after a late jumping start to the season, has been saving his big effort for the championship on Sunday.

Four Canterbury athletes

who have already achieved Games qualifying performances. Peter Renner and Neil Lowsley (both steeplechase), Terry Lomax (high jump) and Kieran McKee (pole vault), are all planning on repeating or improving these. Renner and Lowsley seem certain to dominate the steeplechase tomorrow afternoon and are looking for times in the vicinity of Bmin 30s. McKee, too, should dictate terms in the pole vault.Lomax, however, faces a stern battle in his attempt to regain the high jump crown he lost so. unexpectedly to Dave McDonald (Waikato) last year. He badly needs a championship win and a good height to back up his earlier qualifying leap. Foremost among his rivals will be four Canterbury jumpers, Andrew Wells, Bill Boyd, Grant Landery, and Kieran McKee, all capable of 2.05 m or better. McDonald is in the field again, and so, too, is another outstanding young Waikato jumper, Mark Woolley. Chris Trabing, from

Otago, must also be in the hunt in what promises to be the most keenly contested high jump championship for many years. The challenge which Canterbury’s young defending champion. Angela Pule, will have to contend with in the women's high jump is almost as impressive. She will be aiming for a Games qualifying leap of 1.83 m. and will have to improve three centimetres on her New Zealand senior resident record to do so. This is obviously within her reach, although one slip and she could be engulfed by her rivals, Lyn Soole, Megan Clarken. and Clare Ryan (all Auckland). Miss Soole heads the rankings with 1.79 m, Miss Pule is two centimetres lower, and the other two are on 1.76 m. The heptathlon specialist, Karen Forbes (Canterbury), will not be far away, either, if she can reproduce her best of 1.72 m. One athlete apart from John Walker who must be obsolutely certain of selection for the Brisbane Games, irrespective of his performance this week-end, is the javelin champion, Mike O’Rourke (Auckland). He has managed a qualifying distance in almost every contest in recent months, and is a very definite gold medal prospect. No-one has a chance of taking his title tomorrow afternoon, although the placings behind will be full of interest. Dave Hookway (Auckland) has a best so far of 78.52 m, which gives him second ranking. John Stapyl-ton-Smith (Canterbury), who claimed second place while still a junior in last year’s national event, looked good early in the summer with a *■ throw of 72.3 m, but he has been struggling for form since then and elbow injury (the javelin thrower’s equivalent of tennis elbow) has added to his difficulties.

If he can lift himself back into the seventies, then he will still stand a good chance of selection for Brisbane as a second-string to O’Rourke. Otherwise Hookway will get the nod.