Gilbert stays on track for Commonwealth Games

Press, 27 July 1988, Page 32

Gilbert stays on track for Commonwealth Games

A racing tour of western Europe by one of the rising stars of New Zealand sprinting, Grant Gilbert, of Canterbury, has been called off at the eleventh hour. This hiccup in his schedule has, however, only served to reinforce his determination to achieve a notable long-term target — a place in the New Zealand team for the 1990 Commonwealth Games at Auckland.

Instead of chasing peak performances in Europe, Gilbert has launched himself into a solid winter buildup which he hopes will bring him his first national senior championship victory at Auckland next March. The switch of emphasis, he considers, might yet prove to be a blessing in disguise. The abandoning of the trip was a disappointment. But the final decision not to go was taken by the tall High School Old Boys speedster. Originally, he was included in a group of top athletes who would tour under the sponsorship and guidance of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. One by one they all dropped out, mostly through injury, leaving Gilbert as the sole survivor.

European promoters happy to accept a “team” of New Zealanders were not so ready to accept an individual entry from a solitary and internationally unknown sprinter. The New Zealand Olympic team manager, Steve Rollings, did his best to find starts for Gilbert, and came up with acceptances for two major British meetings, one in late July and the other in August. Other starts might have followed. But Gilbert and his coach, Alan Tucker, concluded that the meetings were too late and opted for a comprehensive winter buildup instead.

"I had been training to leave in mid-June. If I had gone for the British meetings, the whole of my

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winter training would have been shot by the time I got back,” Gilbert explained. He will now content himself with some racing in Australia in January or February as a final tuneup before the national championships.

The loss of the European tour is hardly an athletic disaster. Gilbert,

although turning 21 next month, already has been blooded internationally. In 1986 he represented New Zealand at the world junior championships in Athens and ran a personal best 200 m in 21.515. The year before that he was a member of the New Zealand under-20 team which contested the Australia Games. And there have been other, lesser forays into international fields. There can be little doubt that the 400 m is the distance over which Gilbert has the greatest

ROD DEW

potential. This is the event he has pencilled in for the Commonwealth Games. Because of this, there was some surprise when the 400 m took a back seat in his first senior season last summer. He gave his full attention to a quest for speed in the short sprints — with spectacular all-round results. His shift of concentra-

tion was rewarded with a bronze medal in the New Zealand 100 m championship behind such experienced and accomplished performers as Simon Poelman (Auckland) and Dale McClunie (Waikato). His time was a personal best 10.81 s in damp and unpleasant conditions. He followed this up with a 21.51 s run for second behind McClunie in the 200 m final. The time matched his personal best. But there was more to come.

At Easter he catapulted

to the sprinting forefront with a superb victory over both Poelman and McClunie in the 100 m at the Newmans Inter-city Club Championships at Auckland. His time, 10.695, was another personal best. In the 200 m, he was much closer to McClunie at the finish than he was in the national final, and very satisfied with his 21.4 s time. Wind assistance ruled this out for ranking purposes. Another young Canterbury sprinter of enormous potential, Scott Bowden (New Brighton), stole the top honours for the season over 100 m with his sizzling 10.56 s run in the junior final at Hamilton in March. But Gilbert’s 10.69 s left him third in the national ranking list, just behind Poelman (10.665).

Gilbert also ended the season with third ranking over 200 m. “I came down to the short sprints last season to try and get more speed. And it worked,” he said. “I needed more basic speed if I was going to run faster over 400 m,” he said.

Even though his concentration was on the short sprints, Gilbert did give a glimpse of "his capabilities over 400 m with a splendid win in the Robin Tait Memorial Meeting in Auckland in February. In his only really serious 400 m of the season he recorded 47.185. This was the fastest run by a New Zealander last summer and left him perched securely on top of the national ranking list for the distance. Next season, when he returns his attention to the 200m400m bracket, should prove even better.

Earlier this month he ran a 300 m in training by himself at Queen Elizabeth II Park in 33.65 s — which suggests his aim of a 46s 400 m in the approaching season is a very realistic one.

Gilbert has not yet de-

cided whether to apply maximum effort to the 200 m or the 400 m for the next national championships. This will depend on how he progresses and "who is running what.” He wants to give himself the best possible chance of winning a national senior championship because he feels that anybody holding a national title will carry a lot of weight with the selectors when they sit down to select their team for the Commonwealth Games.

A senior championship victory would also be a natural progression. He won the colts 400 m championship in 1985, and in 1987 won the junior championship in a fast 47.625.

Gilbert has "tracked” remarkably closely the target times offered when' he was first selected as a member of the Chelsea national development squad. Now he has been elevated to “elite” status, which means that he is one of those expected to do well at the Auckland Games.

Alan Tucker believes his charge has the ability to run 45.8 s by 1990 in a climax to the five-year plan. This might not come until the actual Games competition, and for a very good reason, he says. “Grant is good at rising to the occasion. He will always respond in the right way to pressure. His performances at Athens demonstrated this.”

Such a time has never before been run by a New Zealander. The previous best is 46.105, recorded by the former Olympic sprinter, Bevan Smith (Wellington), 13 years ago.

Starting is still a weakness, although improving, says Dr Tucker. Scott Bowden, who is best described as a friendly rival, certainly has the edge in. this department, although the speed of the two sprinters is probably not much different.

The All Black captain and No, 8, Wayne Shelford, leaves a New South Wales defender sprawling during the rugby match at the Concord Oval last Saturday. The bearded lock, Peter Fiztsimons, tries to halt Shelford’s progress. Behind Shelford are Sean Fitzpatrick, Steve McDowell and Andy Earl. The All Blacks won, 42-6. Shelford later rubbished claims by the New South Wales coach, Dick Laffan, that he has constantly indulged in foul play on the tour of Australia. Mr Laffan singled out the big No. 8 forward for special mention in castigating the All Blacks for illegal tactics off the ball. Shelford said he had been penalised once on the tour for punching, against Randwick.

‘lt happens, I have to look at myself. The guy I whacked was offside and he deserved it, but I would like to say that on Saturday I was taken out of play four times when I didn’t have the ball. I think he (Laffan) was only looking at one side of the fence.” The All Black coach, Alex Wyllie, was annoyed at Mr Laffan’s claims. He believes that most of the off-the-ball activity on the tour had come from the opposition, with the exception of the two tests, which had been free from such incidents.

He hoped Mr Laffan’s outburst would not influence the third test referee, Brian Anderson, of Scotland. “He saw the New South Wales game and can make his own judgements,” said Mr Wyllie. “It would be good if they (Australia) come out fighting because if they do they won’t be playing rugby,” Mr Wyllie added.