Kim Robertson switches to middle distance

Press, 29 January 1986, Page 37

Kim Robertson switches to middle distance

By

ROD DEW

A desire for a new challenge is behind the decision of New Zealand’s finest woman sprinter, Kim Robertson (Auckland), to seek selection for the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in a new and very different event—the 800 m. "I haven’t been beaten at the nationals in any event I have run in since I first won the three sprint championships in 1977. This is a whole new ball game, and I find it very exciting,” she said during a brief visit to Christchurch on Saturday. The Commonwealth Games qualifying time for 800 m is 2min 3s, and already Robertson is close. Two weeks ago she ran the distance in 2min ss, and expects to slice a full three seconds off this in the next few weeks. "With my speed, I should be able to become world class in the 800 m, but I need luck and more races,” she said. Articulate, utterly dedicated and very talented, Kim Robertson has already left an indelible mark on New Zealand athletics. She has won 17 New Zealand sprint titles—six fn the 100 m, six in the 200 m, and five in

the 400 m—and her name appears alongside all three sprint events in the New Zealand resident record book. She shares the New Zealand 100 m resident record of 11.4 s with Morag MacKechnie (Waikato), but stands alone with the 200 m record of 23.43 s and the 400 m record of 51.65. Both were set at Queen Elizabeth II track, so it is hardly surprising that she regards this as “my favourite track.” Robertson has a faster 200 m time of 23.135, set in Los Angeles seven years ago. This stands as the New Zealand national record, a mark which can be set anywhere in the world. Her 400 m time is the fastest ever run in New Zealand.

Although still very much the fastest 400 m runner in New Zealand, Robertson realises that she is unlikely to get much faster in the sprints. "Unless I get into steroids, which I have no intention of doing, I know I won’t get any better in the sprints. I have to work

eight or nine hours a day and I cannot put in enough time to get substantially faster.” This thought helped her make the decision to step up to the 800 m. But she does not see it as a "burning my boats” exercise. She is keeping up the 400 m, and if things do not go as well as hoped in the longer distance, she is confident that she can drop back and still qualify comfortably for the Edinburgh Games.

She has no doubts that she still has the ability to run a 400 m in 52s without veiy much change to her training. The qualifying standard for Edinburgh is 52.645.

Robertson had hopes to run the 400 m in 53s during her visit to Queen Elizabeth II Park on Saturday, but the wet weather destroyed any chance of this. Still, she was quite content with her 55s run, which she hopes to improve on in the Robin Tait Memorial meeting at Auckland next Saturday. She flew to Christ-

church to race over 400 m because she could not get such a race on a suitable track anywhere else in New Zealand. The secondary schools’ test match between Australia and New Zealand at Auckland ruled out any senior competition there, and nothing was offering at Hamilton.

Her flight to Christchurch and back to Auckland on the same day was an indication of the single-minded purpose which has kept her at the top for almost a decade. Robertson represented New Zealand at the last Commonwealth Games in Brisbane four years ago, and also contested the 400 m at the Los Angeles Olympics. Recently, she competed in an indoor meeting in Japan, running second over 400 m in a worldclass field. Her time of 55.32 s on the tight, 160 m track was probably worth 53s on an outdoor track. She was particularly satisfied to head off two Olympic finalists and the topranked Canadian 400 m sprinter, Charmaine Crooks, who is being rated as a gold medal chance at Edinburgh.

Crooks has been selected in the Canadian team for some time, and expressed interest in racing against the slim New Zealander at the Commonwealth Games. She was visibly surprised when told by Robertson that “I have still got to get selected.” Robertson will make her main attempt for a qualifying time over 800 m in the Auckland championship at Mount Smart on February 18, and she is very confident. “All I need is an improvement of two seconds. I don’t think that will be too hard.”

There will, of course, be other opportunities before the qualifying period for the Games expires on March 30. The most important will be at the New Zealand championships, this year being held in Christchurch at Queen Elizabeth II Park on March 7, 8 and 9. It is very likely that she will contest both the 400 m and the 800 m, but it will be her performance in the longer distance which will be the significant one. This could well signal the start of a bright new international career as a middle distance runner.