Bayi-style run by Gilchrist

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 40

Bayi-style run by Gilchrist

By

ROD DEW

A brilliant 1500 m run by Michael Gilchrist (Technical) in cold, unfavourable conditions at Queen Elizabeth II Park last evening set the seal on his selection for the forthcoming Brisbane Commonwealth Games.

Gilchrist, realising at the outset that his only rival was the clock, led the race from the start. He remained right on schedule throughout, displaying almost uncanny pace judgment, and reached the finish in 3min 39.4 s — sixtenths of a second inside the Games qualifying standard. Gilchrist is now in the very secure position of having the two fastest qualifying times behind New Zealand’s former Olympic champion. John Walker. His best, set in the international meeting in Christchurch in January, is 3min 39.235, only fractionally faster than his remarkable run last evening.

“That was marvellous,” said his coach, Mr Valdemars Briedis, afterwards. “That was a Bayi-style run. He just went out and ran his own race.” Mr Briedis said that the run had been patterned on the style of the great Tanzanian runner. Filbert Bayi, who won the Commonwealth Games 1500 m title in world record time on the same track in 1974.

“I don't think anybody could have done better than Michael tonight,” Mr Briedis said. "If he can do that by himself, he can obviously run much, much better in good competition.” Gilchrist’s reaction was slightly more subdued. “I am very satisfied. I was a little unsure how I would go. The last couple of months my form has been a bit up and down. And it was not the best of nights. It was cold, and there was a wind.” The evening was not quite such a happy one for the New Zealand 5000-10,000 m champion, Tom Birnie (New Brighton). He flagged a little in the middle stages of the 5000 m and was clearly tiring over the final laps. Although he won very easily in a fast 13min 58.65, he was well outside the Games qualifying time of 13min 35s which was his target. Lack of jumping height probably cost Evan Peterson (Technical)' a qualifying distance in the long jump. He achieved an excellent 7.28 m — nine centimetres further than his New Zealand championship performance — but this was still short of the Games qualifying distance of 7.65 m. He will probably have one more serious attempt at the final meeting of the season on March 27.