N.Z. third in Southport lifesaving initiative i test

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 36

N.Z. third in Southport lifesaving initiative i test

NZPA ! Southport The [New Zealand team made its presence felt at the world lifesaving championships yesterday, when it won a bronze medal and qualified for i’ttireje finals in the stillwater ! events at. the Southport Olympid pool in Queensland. New Zealand’s combination of Paul! i Bethel, Lars’ Humer, Geoff |Walker and Andrew Allen finished third behind 'the Australian Royal Lifesaving: (Association -team and Canadapin the initiative assessment test. Victims with varying degrees of injury were in the pool [arid competitors had 90 to work out their rescue (priorities. "tyhiie most of the other teams dragged the victims to the pool side, our guys picked ;up valuable points for doing resuscitation in the ’water,’! the 1 New Zealand team manager, ! Geoff Small, said. [ i Ttie thristchurch surf lifesaver, Bethel, was the fastest qualifier for the final of the 100 m riianikin rescue, dragging a (48kg manikin with its head above water. His time of (1 miri 7.58 s was 3.5 s faster than he second qualifier, Jorg Rossen, from West Germany. . Bethel, Walker, Humer and Michael Waide were third fastest iqualifiers in the 4 i x 50rri rescue tube relay heats

and second in the 4 x 50m manikin rescue relay heats'. . ! ■ ■ I , i In -the 200 m freestyle with obstacles — eight dives through submerged screens — Mount Maungahui's Dean Walter was fifth behind [the fastest qualifier, Paul Donahue, of the United States. ' Eleven nations) — Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the : United States, Japan, China-Taipei, Indonesia, West Germany, Great Britain,l Sri Lanka and Egypt are con- ; testing the championships ' which end on Sunday. Most of the surf events will be held at the ' week-end at Southport Beach. . | [ i The West Germans stamped an early j dominance on the world lifesaving championships in their Ipet stillwater events. After the morning's heats at Southport Olympic pool, the : Germans were fastest qualifiers in two [of the four races. | ■' Hl. They finished second in) the other two pool rabes, only to be disqualified in one [ for mishandling equipment. ; The world | champion, ! rower, Jorg Rossen, touched [ out the American,l Tore Blichfieldt, to clock the fastest time, Imin 10.24 s [in the 100 m I manikin rescue with fins) . . [ Swimmers had' to drag a

48kg! manikin through two laps [Of an Olympic-size pool, keeping the "victim's” head above water. [ j ,i I I Rossen joined forces |with three West German teammates to clock the fastest relay time in the 4xsom manikin relay. | I' ' [ The powerful German relay team includes Manfred Koder, runner-up |n the 2QOm freestyle obstacle race at last year’s world lifesaving stillwater championships, and silver-medallist in a fourevent stillwater equivalent of surf i lifesaving's ironman. [ The over-all title requires competitors to perform the 200rh freestyle with obstacles, a 50m i manikin 1 rescue,; |a throw with a; ball lon the end of -a knotted line and jan intricate rowing eivent where competitors row i a 3m Iby 1.5m 1 boat around a swimming pool, sitting) and standing, circling a buoy and pulling [a manikin from the water; I ■ ; ' | .I I) Koder clocked ' the second fastest qualifying [time in the 200 m frestyle obstacle race this morning, just 0.24 s behind American Paul Donahue. | J i j| I! The Americans were fastest qualifiers in [the 4xsom freestyle tube relay, with 'the Germans second, (but disqualified after Rossen fouled ’the exchange of the tube! \ I :