O’Connor gains nomination

Press, 19 April 1984, Page 40

O’Connor gains nomination

ROD DEW

By

Weeks of uncertainty ended last evening for the outstanding Canterbury long distance runner, Mary O’Connor, when she was included among the three women nominated by the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association for the Los Angeles Olympic Games marathon. Miss O’Connor, the second-fastest woman marathon runner on the New Zealand all-time ranking list, qualified for selection with a fine run of 2hr 33min 34s over the Los Angeles Olympic course in February. However, the controversial decision of the New Zealand selecks to

extend the deadline for qualifying times to incude the Boston marathon last week-end left the selection wide open. The brilliant win in the Boston event by Lorraine Moller in 2hr 29min 28s assured her of a place in the Olympic team and increased the number of qualifiers to four. Only three are permitted from any one country. The unlucky runner to be omitted was Glenys Quick, at present based in the United States. Her qualifying'time of 2hr 33min 34s was the slowest of the four qualifiers, and it would have been surprising if the selectors had taken any other course.

Anne Audain, the gold medal winner over 3000 m at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, was named last evening with Miss Moller and Miss O’Connor. She ran a 2hr 32min 7s qualifying time in Los Angeles in February, and this made her selection a certainty. She had also run a qualifying time in an earlier event. Speaking from her parents’ home in Kokatahi on the West Coast last evening, Miss O’Connor said she felt relieved as much as anything. However, she was still very criticial of the extension of the qualifying period. “I still consider that the qualifying period should

never have been extended,” she said. “I asked for an extension because of the world cross-country championships, and this was refused. I feel very sorry for Glenys. She was in the same boat that I was.” Miss O’Connor explained that having already run one marathon, she felt that if she attempted a second there would be a very real chance of running her form right down for the Olympic event. “Glenys was the same. Nobody would want to run three marathons in six months,” she said. The experienced Kevin Ryan has been added to the men’s team of al-

though he has not beaten the qualifying time. Only two men, Rod Dixon and Derek Froude, bettered the standard and the selectors decided to increase the nominations to the maximum of three by including Ryan, who now faces a worrying time until the full Olympic time is announced by the Olymic Games selectors. “Ryan has got the form and the potential to be in the top group at Los Angeles,” said the convener of selectors, Mr Ron Cain, last evening. Ryan’s best this season was 23s outside the qualifying time.