O’Connor joins medal hopefuls

Press, 16 June 1983, Page 32

O’Connor joins medal hopefuls

PA Wellington Paul Ballinger and Mary O’Connor were named yesterday as New Zealand’s marathon spearheads for the inaugural world track and field championships in Helsinki in August. The team of six marathoners and three walkers was named yesterday after a meeting of the administration committee.

Ballinger and O’Connor join John Walker, Mike O’Rourke and Anne Audain as New Zealand’s best medal prospects fer the championships.

Backing up Ballinger (Taranaki) and O’Connor (Canterbury) are Wellington’s Ngaire Drake and Glenys Quick (Waikato) inthe women’s division and Don Greig (Canterbury) and an Englishman, Trevor Wright (Tauranga), in the men.

Ballinger, with a best time of 2hr lOmin 15s, is New Zealand’s fastest marathoner. He recorded the time when winning the Fukuoka marathon in Japan last December. O’Connor shot through the rankings with her 2:28.20 for second in London in April,

and she is now the secondfastest in New Zealand behind Allison Roe, who is not available for Helsinki. With Roe and Lorraine Moller out, O’Connor, Quick and Drake are the fastest New Zealand has available. The present New Zealand runners, Dick Quax,. Rod Dixon and Kevin Ryan have all run faster than either Greig or Wright. Greig had a best time of 2:13.50 in Auckland in May last year and Wright’s best was 2:1229 for eighth in the London Marathon in April. O’Connor’s fastest time was recorded in the London

Marathon last year. A former national cross country and road champion, she had only one marathon to her credit before recording 2:28.20 in London last April. Quick qualified from her 2:36.50, San Francisco Marathon last September and has a back-up time of 2:35.20 from late 1981. Drake’s best time in the 42 kilometre, 195 metre distance is 2:42.15. The three walkers announced yesterday for the team are Keith Olsthoorn, Shane Donnelly and*Kevin Taylor.