Young sprinter with a most promising future

Press, 19 December 1984, Page 48

Young sprinter with a most promising future

By

ROD DEW

If there is confusion over who is the fastest person in New Zealand at present, it is only because there are so many contenders for this strictly unofficial title. But one young man has a slight edge over the others in this regard, Murray Gutry (Waikato). He startled the country’s leading sprinters in January this year with a New Zealand resident record run of 10.63 s at Auckland, a remarkable effort for an athlete who is very much a 400 m specialist. This time is now the target for a whole host of sprinters who have been within a few tenths of a second of this. However, even if the record does not last very long, Murray Gutry will not be unduly upset. He appreciates that he has the ability to run even faster over the 100 m, but realises that if he is to have an international

future then he must concen-. trate on the 400 m. He demonstrated some of his considerable ability over this distance with an excellent win in 47.15 s in the Technical club’s twilight invitation meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park last Saturday evening. Gutry freely admitted that he felt nervous before the race, his first against Canterbury’s outstanding New Zealand junior champion, Darren Dale. Gutry, on this occasion at least, had the better of the race, using his faster basic speed and greater finishing strength to make sure of victory. At the same time, he realises that Dale has run faster than the 48.42 s he recorded for second and that their next meeting might be a lot tougher. Although he has been competing in athletics for about six years, Gutry is still only 20 and was actually eligible for the New Zealand under 21 team which will compete against Australia and England in the Australian Games next year. Surprisingly, though, he was not named when the team was announced yesterday. He is stocky, power-fully-built, and with a legspeed which must be the envy of many of his sprint rivals. A keen rugby player until relatively recently, Gutry was a member of the New Zealand secondary schools’ rugby team and showed the ability to go on to greater things. But he has chosen athletics in which to make his bid for greatness, and he has already taken more than a step or two along the path to athletics fame. He won the New Zealand junior 400 m title for the first time in 1982, successfully defended it in 1983, and earlier this year at Auckland he claimed the

New Zealand senior championship. Rugby has given way to full winter track training, and the next big step is to gain a place in the New Zealand team for the Pacific Conference Games in the United States in June next year. New Zealand will probably send two 400 m sprinters if the standard is high enough, and Gutry has a very good chance of being

the first choice. His considerable basic speed also puts him in the running for a place in the relay team for the World Cup meeting in Canberra at the end of next year. The long term aim is to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1986. Gutry, in his second year at the teachers’ college in Hamilton, is “pretty sure”

he can get his 400 m time down to 46.5 s this season, which will take him closer to the national record of 46.105, held by the former New Zealand Olympic sprinter, Bevan Smith (Wellington). His best so far is 46.85.

His coach is John Tylden, a man who Gutry has a lot of respect for. “He has helped me a lot,” he said. He also has the benefit of training with a former New Zealand 400 m champion, John Enright, who was the third finisher on Saturday. “We are not coached by the same person, but we train together two or three times a week. And we race against one another every week. This is a great help.” Gutry, obviously, is also a very capable performer over 200 m. He has a best time of 21.455, and the ability to run even faster. This season he will probably contest the New Zealand 200 m championship, as well as the 400 m championship, at Dunedin in March. And that will not be viewed with any great pleasure by the country’s established short sprinters. Nevertheless, there is no chance of Gutry trying for the sprint grand slam. “I will run the 400 m and possibly the 200 m at the national championships, but I can’t see any way I can run the 100 m. Although I enjoy racing the 100 m very much, the 400 m is probably my best chance for the future.” , After the New Zealand championships, Gutry has a tour of Australia mapped out, leading up to the Australian nationals in Canberra. He will race in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne before matching his skills against the best in Australia. Success at this level will leave the selectors no alternative but to select him for the Pacific Conference Games. And that will only be the start of an inter-, national career full of promise.