New Zealand one of cross-country fancies

Press, 24 March 1984, Page 80

New Zealand one of cross-country fancies

NZPA staff corresondent New York

Three Canterbury women, Mary O’Connor, Sarah Harnett, and Sue Bruce, and two male Cantabarians, Tom Birnie and Dave Burridge, form a vital part in New Zealand’s challenge for world cross-country honours at New Jersey tomorrow. It is expected by some officials that three seconds could separate first and fifth platings in the men and women’s sections, and New Zealand is confidently expected to be prominently placed. New Zealand has entered six women and eight men, with the national champion,

Derek Froude, of Taranaki, having the best chance of a good individual placing. Norway’s Grete Waitz, arguably the most consistent long-distance runner of her genration, will be going for a record sixth world title.

Leading contenders for the men’s title are the Ethiopians Bekele Debele and Mohamed Kedir, winners in Gateshead, England, last year and Rome in 1982 respectively. Australia’s world marathon champion, Robert de Castella, the Italian world 10,000 m champion, Alberto Cova, and the Americans Pat Porter and Craig Virgin are other for-

midable challengers.

The New Zealand team has been training at the University of California’s Irvine Campus east of Los Angeles, using its allweather track for speed work and surroundings for cross-country practice.

New Zealand’s men’s team is Froude, Paul Ballinger (Taranaki), Birnie and Burridge (Canterbury), John Bowden and Shane Marshall (Auckland), Rex Wilson (Hawke’s Bay) and Dallas McCallum (Wellington). The women’s team is led by Dianne Rodger of Waikato with O’Connor, Harnett and Bruce (Canterbury) and Christine Hughes and Linden Wilde (Auckland).