Selectors name biggest team for Olympics

Press, 1 May 1984, Page 36

Selectors name biggest team for Olympics

In spite of stringent selection criteria that was applied by the Olympic selectors (Messrs H. R. Dutton, B. Cameron and J. Prestney), New Zealand will be represented by its largest team at an Olympic Games in Los Angeles in August.

The New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association’s management committee last evening approved a team of 119 athletes — 90 men and 29 women — with decisions deferred on another five competitors. A diver, Gary Lamb from Otago, two weight-lifters, Alistair Nalder (Nelson) and Mike Bernard (Auckland), and two fencers, Martin Brill and David Cocker (both resident overseas), have until May 31 to produce performances of international standard and satisfy the selectors they are worthy of inclusion. Three competitors have been included in the team but subject to certain conditions.

their competition had been decimated.

Mike O’Rourke, the Commonwealth Games javelin champion, was injured for a large part of the season just ended, and failed to reach the qualifying target of 85m. He has been given until the day of the opening ceremony at Los Angeles, July 28, to achieve the target, an extremely generous allowance.

The synchronised swimming sisters from Wellington, Katie and Lynnette Sadleir, who came to New Zealand from Canada, have to acquire New Zealand citizenship and gain acceptance from the international Olympic Committee, before they are able to compete for New Zealand.

Synchronised swimming will be held at the Olympics for the first time in Los Angeles, and provided they can overcome the red tape, the pair will compete in the duo competition. The previous largest team at an Olympic Games was 96 in Munich in 1972. In 1980 a team of 99 competitors was chosen for the Moscow Olympics, but only four — three canoeists and a modern pentathlete — eventually took part. The remaining 13 sports all withdrew their teams, either in support of the New Zealand Government’s request to join an Americaninspired boycott, or because

The selectors rejected 14 nominations, although it was known before last evening that some of them were not acceptable to the Olympic selectors. The three gymnasts nominated — Rowena Davis, David Lutterman and Tania Moss — were informed several weeks ago that they had not done sufficient to warrant selection. Of the other 11 the most unlucky to miss selection must be the cyclist, Murray Steele from Christchurch. His best event is the kilometre time-trial, but in that event he rides in the shadow of the Commonwealth Games champion Craig Adair.

Only one entry per country is permitted in the kilo and Adair, naturally, was given the nod by the selectors.

Knowing this Steele decided to try and qualify in the sprint. After several attempts he finally succeeded at Denton Park in March. He beat the qualifying standard, by two hundredths of a second, but the selectors decided it was a secondary event, and that Steele was not up to international standard in it. Mr Dutton admitted last evening that Steele was one of “the unluckiest people in New Zealand.” Another who could feel peeved at missing selection is the marathon runner, Kevin Ryan. He was 23s outside the qualifying time of 2h 12min 30s in the 42km event, but more significantly the selectors included the long jumper, Stephen Walsh, who only reached the 8m qualifying distance with a wind-assisted leap.

“The panel felt that Walsh had such consistency of performance that he should be chosen,” said Mr Dutton.

Michael Sykes, the lightwelterweight boxer was the only one of three nominations in his sport excluded. Two swimmers, Carmel Clarke and Anna Doig were nominated provisionally by

the swimming selectors, but failed in several special attempts to qualify after the nominations were made.

Judo was the sport most harshly treated. Bill Vincent, of New Plymouth, was the only one of six nominations to be accepted. Vincent has been fighting and training in Japan, the home of judo, for most of the last five years, and has just returned there.

Rick Littlewood, who went to Munich in 1972, is the only other New Zealand judoka to compete in the Olympics, though both Vincent and David Clark were selected for the boycotted Moscow Games.

Five members of the team will be attending their third Olympic Games. But for the boycott of Moscow in 1980, it would have been the fourth Olympics for three competitors —- the athlete Rod Dixon, and three hockey players, Jeff Archibald, Ramesh Patel and Arthur Parkin.

Interestingly, the four have all won medals at previous Olympics. Dixon won a bronze in the 1500 m at Munich and Archibald, Patel and Parkin were members of the gold medal winning hockey team in Montreal. lan Ferguson will be attending his third Olympics as a canoeist. He first represented his country at the Montreal Olympics, and was one of the four New Zealanders who competed in Moscow.

There is a strong family flavour in the team. The boxer, Kevin Barry, will be coached by his father, Kevin Barry senior, Dave Rodger, a member of the rowing eight, will be accompanied in the team by his wife Dianne, who will run in the women’s 3000 m track event; and the Miskimmin brothers from Wellington, Brent and Peter continue a strong family tradition in New Zealand Olympic hockey teams. Their cousins, Barry and Selwyn Maister played for New Zealand at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics. Gary Hurring is the only survivor of five swimmers named in the ill-fated Moscow team. Disillusioned after the withdrawal from the 1980 Olympics, he gave up swimming a few months later, but started a comeback in the middle of last year. In January he bettered the Olympic qualifying standard in the 100 m backstroke to secure his nomination.