Cross-country side looks to Burridge

Press, 22 March 1986, Page 80

Cross-country side looks to Burridge

NZPA staff correspondent Neuchatel, Switzerland A strong New Zealand team is hoping to dramatically improve on last year’s results when it contests the world cross-coun-try championships tomorrow.

The men’s team, looking to a lead from the inform David Burridge, of Canterbury, has the bait of a place in November’s Hiroshima road relay in trying to turn thirteenth in Portugal last year to at least eighth at Neuchatel. “The top eight will get an automatic invitation to the road relay championships ... that is the incentive they have set themselves,” said the team manager, Jack Ralston. The women’s team, seventh in Lisbon, has hopes of a medal. “They’ve got secret desires of going for a medal but I think somehwere in the first five would be about right,” Mr Ralston said.

The manager said the Kiwi team was “the best we’ve brought away for the last four years. We hope everything falls into place.” Training camp performances in Italy have given the team confidence. Mr Ralston said Canterbury’s Sue Bruce and the Aucklander, Christine McMicken, had set per-

sonal bests for 2000 metres of smin 53s and 5:57 respectively. The women’s captain, Mary O’Connor, had run 4:37 for 1600 metres, close to her best. Rex Wilson, from Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay, had completely recovered from a knee injury, Mr Ralston said.

After training runs in Italy, Burridge was “the form runner...we’d be looking to him.” Wilson’s fifty-fourth was the best placing of the New Zealand men last year. Bruce headed home the women, finishing eighth, while McMicken was twenty-fifth, Gail Rear (Northland) fortyseventh and O’Connor sixty-fourth. Zola Budd, running for England, is favoured to repeat her 1985 win in the absence of some of the world’s top women. The Norwegian, Ingrid Kristiansen, third in Lisbon, may be her strongest opponent over • the 4650metre-course, while the United States will be hoping to repeat their team’s win over the Soviets.

The men’s 12,000 metres field will not include last year’s winner, the Portugese, Carlos Lopes, but the formidable Ethiopians and Kenyans •will again have a strong presence.