Big N.Z. contingent for world veterans’ games

Press, 20 November 1987, Page 25

Big N.Z. contingent for world veterans’ games

By

ROD DEW

One of the biggest international sports events in terms of participation ever held — the VII World Veterans’ Games — will open at Olympic Pajk in Melbourne on November 28.

More than 4800 track, field, road and crosscountry athletes from 50 countries have entered the nine-day festival, and 447 of them are from New Zealand. The Christchurch contingent, which numbers more than 100, will be particularly strong and hopes are high for a goodly haul of medals. Among the top gold medal prospects is the former Olympic and Commonwealth Games shot and discus representative, Vai Young, still very much to the fore in national open competition. She won the world veterans’ W4O discus crown when the Games were held in Christchurch in 1981, and now looks set to claim the W5O crown in the same event.

She has recently been throwing in excess of 40m, and when she extends herself should be able to get the discus well beyond this distance.

Ken Simpson, a former New Zealand 220 yd hurdles and triple jump champion, is another with bright medal prospects. He recently set a New Zealand M4O record of 16.6 s for 110 m hurdles, and can clearly do even better. He will also contest the triple and long jumps. Shirley Peterson, who represented New Zealand in the sprints at the 1950 Commonwealth Games, is another with a golden glint in her eye. She is 59 and is at a slight disadvantage because she will compete in the W55 category, but a W59 world record for the 100 m of 14.2 s this season augers well for her chances. She is hoping to dip below 14s in the Games. The long jump is also a strong event for her, and a medal in this cannot be discounted, either.

Other strong Canterbury entries include Bruce McPhail (sprints and long jump), Norman Hawke (hammer), June Miles (distance track), Dave Leech (hammer), Jim Macdonald (1500 m and 5000 m), and Arthur Graybum (javelin). McPhail, of Ashburton, a former All Black wing,

was a medallist at the Christchurch Games, and this time, in the M5O grade, he will be hard to beat.

Leech and Graybum are both former New Zealand open champions, and both are regular competitors in inter-club competition. Graybura, who holds practically every veteran javelin record in the book, recently celebrated his sixtieth birthday with a M6O record of 46.34 m, a distance he has since extended to 48.96 m. Both men have set world veteran records.

There will be many other famous New Zealand names from the past. Bill Baillie (Auckland), an 800 m title-winner in Christchurch six years ago, will contest the M5O 800 m and 1500 m, and there is even talk that the great Peter Snell, a former Olympic 800 m and 1500 m champion, will turn up on the start-line. Dave Sirl (Auckland) who set a New Zealand M 45 1500 m record this summer of 4min 3.65, is a firm entry. Penny Hunt (Wellington) and Graeme Lawless (Oamaru) are among a surprisingly long list of former New Zealand stars. Hunt will contest the sprints and hurdles, and Lawless the M 55 discus and shot. Derek Tumbill (Invercargill) holds world records for the M 55 800 m, 1500 m and 5000 m. Now in the M6O grade, he has his sights on the 5000 m, 10,000 m and marathon, and is expected to do well.

Also wearing New Zealand colours will be Frank Evans, who competed for Britain at the 1948 Olympics. Now living in Auckland, he will run in the M6O 400 m and 800 m. Colleen Milles, a 400 m representative at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974, and Roy Williams, a

Commonwealth Games decathlon gold medallist, are other likely competitors from New Zealand.

In spite of the distance Melbourne is from Europe, entries are up on the Rome Games by eight per cent, and the standard is expected to be higher than ever before.

Carlos Lopez (Portugal), the winner of the 1984 Olympic marathon.

has just turned 40 and he is an entry in the 10,000 m and cross-country. Both events . have attracted huge entries — 1113 for the cross-country and 1105 for the 10,000 m. The entry for the marathon is even larger, 1700, but Lopez, who has had recent trouble with a sciatic nerve will not contest this.

Two of the Olympic greats from the United States, Tommy Smith (sprints) and Al Oerter (discus), will compete, ensuring a standard in their respective events not far short of the highest world standards. Oerter, who will contest the M5O grade, recently threw the discus 67.9 m. Smith is a former world 200 m record-holder, still capable of very fast times.

Another United States Olympian is the hammer thrower, Ed Burk. He competed at the Los Angeles Olympics with distinction, and recently tossed the hammer an impressive 70m.