Poelman capable of five titles

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 46

Poelman capable of five titles

Rod Dew

The wide-ranging talents of New Zealand’s world-ranked decathlete,

Simon Poelman (Auckland), could bring him as many as four — or even five — titles at the fourday national track and field championships which begin at Hamilton tomorrow.

Fresh from his world record one-hour decathlon performance, Poelman has entered six events at the national championships — the 100 m sprint, 110 m hurdles, long jump, pole vault, shot, and 4 x 100 m relay — which is a formidable list by anyone’s standards. And he will be a top contender in every one of them.

One of only a handful of New Zealand athletes with realistic Olympic aspirations, the well-built Aucklander won three titles last season, in the 110 m hurdles, long jump, and pole vault, and has morethan an even chance of successfully defending all three. The fourth gold medal could well corrie in the shot, an event in which he has made splendid progress this summer.

Poelman has catapulted from comparative obscurity as shot putter to the top of the national ranking list. The 16.23 m distance he recorded on one of his visits to Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch at the end of last year leaves him comfortably ahead of the two men previously regarded as the country’s top shot exponents, Walter Gill (Auckland) and Henry Smith (Wellington). Gill has a season best of 15.70 m, and Smith has heaved the shot no further than 15.21 m.

Last season, Poelman was third in the New Zealand 100 m championship behind the experienced Aucklander, Shane Downey, and the Waikato speedster, Dale McClunie. Downey and McClunie will both be running, and have both established impressive credentials this season. McClunie has won the Waikato 100 m and 200 m titles, and Downey has again triumphed in Auckland'

There promises, however, to be greater depth in the 100 m field this year. Murray Gutry (Waikato) actually heads the rankings with a 10.5 s run in January, and is a top chance. McClunie arid Downey both have 10.6 s runs to their credit, and .right behind them are PGrant Gilbert (Canterbury), John Ryan (Auckland), and Peter Savage (Auckland), all with 10.75. Poelman’s best this season is 10.835, but he is a superb competitor and in a tense championship final will be hard to beat. . In the 110 m hurdles, Poelman heads the rankings with 14.455. Behind him are the two men who secured the minor placings in last year’s national final, Paul Lloyd and Roger Te Puni (both Wellington), and a new challenger, Grant McNeil (Otago). Lloyd’s best this season is 14.925. Poelman is also comfortably placed in the long jump. His recent best of 7.46 m puts him well ahead of Jonathon Moyle (7.30 m and Willie Hinchcliff (7.24 m both of Auckland, the only other New to have

exceeded 7m this summer.

The New Zealand record pole vault by Poelman in January of 5.04 m has established him as a firm favourite for a win in this event. Matthew Roper (Waikato) and Derek McKee (Canterbury) are his closest rivals, both on 4.50 m. Two other Canterbury men are closing the gap, Kieran McKee and Richard Willetts, but still have some distance to go. Kieran McKee has exceeded sm, and was the first New Zealander to do so, but his '■ form has slipped a little in the last two seasons. Poelman's chances of picking up a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay also look good. The Auckland team, which will probably consist of Poelman, Downey, Ryan and Savage, will be hard to beat.

Tough qualifying standards for the Seoul Olympics appear to have discouraged a number of leading performers, who have eliminated thoughts of Olympic glory from their programmes. Just what effect this will have on performances remains to be seen. But it will be surprising if any qualifying performances are achieved at the championships.

Apart from John Walker (1500 m Anne Audain (10,000 m and Poelman, it is hard to see where New Zealand's Olympic team members will come from.

Walker, who has already qualified in the 1500 m, has decided to concentrate on the 800 m at the championships, simply because it represents a greater challenge. This can hardly impress the defending champion, Colin McDonald (Canterbury), who has yet to break Imin 50s this season. In spite of his advancing years (he is 36), Walker should win, with McDonald and. two accomplished young Aucklanders, Michael Hindmarsh and Andrew Campbell, fighting out the, minor placings.

Peter : O’Donoghue (Auckland) looks ready to take over' the 1500 m crown, although the Olympic finalist, Tony Rogers (Waikato), cannot be discounted. O’Donoghue is also entered for the 5000 m, but is likely to give this away. This will leave the Canterbury runner, Phil Clode, with a great chance of taking hip first national title.

There is a possibility that Peter Renner (Canterbury) will also contest the 5000 m, which might mean an all-Canterbury finish. Renner is certain to win the 3000 m steeplechase, and might yet decide to make a late bid for Olympic selection once the world crosscountry is out of the way. Tom Bimie (Canterbury), another building up for the world cross-coun-try, looks a good chance in the 10,000 m. There will be interest in the javelin in the performance of Mike O’Rourke (Auckland), the gold medallist at the Brisbane ; Commonwealth Games. After a year away from the sport, he returns to take on the new ckam- • _

pion, Gavin Lovegrove (Hamilton). Lovegrove achieved 79.24 m in January, not far short of the Olympic qualifying distance, so he remains an Olympic prospect. O’Rourke’s best since his .comback is 77.40 m, and he is obviously capable of bigger throws. Bev Peterson (Canterbury) is back on top of the women’s 100 m rankings with her 11.83 s run in December and seems ready to regain the short sprint championship l she lost to Andrea Wade (Auckland) last year. Wade will again be a threat, but does not look quite as sharp as she once did.

Wade’s best prospects lie in the 200 m. She! has the best time of ■ the season of 24.15. Briar Toop (Hawke’s Bay-Pov-erty Bay) is ranked

second on 24.25, and Peterson third on 24.645.

A Canterbury gold seems likely from Jayne Mitchell in the long jump. Her season best of 6.28 m puts her well ahead of the opposition. The closest is Vanessa Jack (Auckland) with 5.71 m. Her Old Boys and Canterbury teammate, Leanne Meaclem, is ranked third with 5.67 m.

Mitchell is also a strong medal prospect in the 100 m hurdles. Jack has the best time of the season, 14.55. Mitchell is second fastest with 15.03 s and Meaclem third with 15.415.

Back from a year at the Australian Institute qf Sport, Elizabeth Ryan (Canterbury) should win the discus, and be a solid chance in the shot as well. A 49.02 m discus in Canberra in January suggests she is ready to break the

50m barrier for the first time.

Kaye Nordstrom (Canterbury) will! renew her rivalry with Kirsten Smith (Auckland) in the javelin. Both have won the championship, although it was Smith who triumphed at their last national meeting. Smith ihas thrown 52.28 m this ! season, although Nordstrom is not far behind. A keen tussle seems likely.

The women’s high jump promises an exciting contest, with Trudy Woodhead (Otago) facing a strong challenge from an Otago team-mate, iTania Murray. Murray actually heads the with 1.83 m, achieved in Christchurch in I December. Woodhead’s best so! far is I.Blm, so some improvement will be- necessary if she is to retain her title.