Wilson on road to cup selection

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 3

Wilson on road to cup selection

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The New Zealander, Rex Wilson, is well on the road to World Cup Athletics selection after his superb run in winning the Royal Life Half Marathon for the second successive year at Frankston yesterday. Wilson, aged 25, from Hastings, is aiming for selection in the Oceania team to compete at the World Athletics Cup in Canberra in October. Wilson was too fast over the final five kilometres for his British opponents, Steve Anders and Hugh Jones, who finished second and

third respectively. Anders, the reigning British 10-mile champion, kept the pressure on Wilson for the first 16km, but the New Zealander’s explosive speed was just too great in the run home.

Wilson clocked Ihr 3min 255, just three seconds under his winning effort in the inaugural 1984 run. “It was very cold early but fortunately the cross wind did not bother me,” he said.

Wilson, who arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday from Boston, feared the extreme change in tempera-

ture could have affected his performance. “I have been doing track training in Boston for the past three weeks and naturally the weather has been much warmer,” he said. “It was really cold early in the race but as I gained my momentum I had no worries.”

The versatile Wilson holds the New Zealand five kilometre track and 10-mile road title.

Anders and the redheaded Jones did not let the organisers down by turning in strong performances.