Kiwi gold medals could be scarce at Seoul

Press, 14 September 1988, Page 48

Kiwi gold medals could be scarce at Seoul

By

CHRIS MIRAMS

of NZPA

The. 88-member New Zealand Olympic team could be forgiven if it approaches Seoul with apprehension following the record success of the 1984 New Zealand team in Los Angeles. Four years ago the country’s biggest Olympic team, 135-strong, returned after 16 days of competition with a record haul of medals — eight gold, one silver and two bronze. But the unknown factor was how successful New Zealand would have been had the Eastern bloc countries not boycotted the games. Canoeing, and lan Ferguson in particular, provided the Cinderella story of Los Angeles. But the Kiwi canoeists benefited more than any others through the absences. The sport took four gold medals in total with Ferguson claiming a personal haul of three. Only one other New Zealander has ever won three Olympic gold medals, Peter Snell, and it took him two Games to do that. Rowing, with a gold to the coxless four and a bronze to the straight four, also profited from the non-participation of the Eastern bloc nations. But with Cuba, Ethiopia and North Korea the only countries of the Olympic family not competing in Seoul, New Zealand faces a true acid test. New Zealand has won just 15 gold medals since first competing in the Olympics in 1908. The hockey team in Montreal 1976, the coxed four in Mexico 1968, the eight in Munich 1976, Snell in 1960 and 1964, his fellow 1500 metre winner, Jack Lovelock, in 1936 and the boxer, Ted Morgan, in 1928 all epitomised the Kiwi spirit. New Zealanders first competed in the Olympics in a combined Australasian team in the 1908 London Games and a Wellingtonian, Harry Kerr, was the first Kiwi to win a medal with a bronze in the 3500 metre walk. The first gold medal won by a New Zealander came in 1912 when Malcolm Champion, swimming the second leg of the 800 metre men’s relay —

again for an Australasian team — created an eight second break to set up an upset victory. New Zealand had to wait 16 years for its second gold — its first since becoming a separate Olympic nation in 1920 — which came from Morgan, a welterweight, at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

After enduring a long voyage to London where he wanted to compete before the Olympics, Morgan dislocated the first knuckle of his left hand. Although his skill proved far superior it was his courage that was lauded by the media. “... many men would never have faced so severe a handicap,” one British journalist wrote. The 1932 Los Angeles Games were Jack Lovelock’s first and he finished a well beaten seventh in the mile. Four years of research, much of it revolutionary for the period, a victory in the mile at the 1934 Empire Games and Lovelock returned to the Olympic arena in Berlin, 1936, a vastly improved performer. In the final of the 1500 metres he unleashed one of the most memorable and tactically excellent races of all time to slice one second off the world record, clocking 3min 47.8 seconds. His feat is one of only two Olympic 1500 m finals where the world record was broken.

Helsinki in 1952 saw Yvette Williams become the first and only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold when she took the triple jump — handicapped by an , injured knee — with a leap of 6.24 metres. Her effort smashed the Olympic record and was only 2.5 centimetres off setting a new world mark. New Zealand sport enjoyed a momentous year in 1956. The cricket team won its first ever test match beating the West Indies at Eden Park by 190 runs and the All Blacks ' triumphed over the touring Springboks. To cap the year New Zealand sent its then biggest team to an Olympics, in Melbourne, winning two gold medals. Following Kerr’s bronze medal 48 years earlier New Zealand’s second Olympic walker, Norman Read, was first across the line in the 50km event. No other New Zealand Olympic sport, in terms of athletes sent and medals won, can match walking’s record.

Peter Mander and Jack Cropp were the first Kiwi yachtsmen to compete in an Olympic regatta when they contested the Sharpie class in a boat they had , built themselves. Going into the seventh and final day of competition they trailed the leaders, Australia, by 398 points. Australia went across the line first, New Zealand second but then a protest by the French claiming interference by the Australians was upheld and the Kiwis had gold.

New Zealand yachtsmen again headed an Olympic regatta in the Tokyo . Games of 1964 when Helmer Pedersen and Earle Wells won the Flying Dutchman class. Then in Los Angeles 1984 from its biggest ever team, 15, Rex Sellers and Chris Timms won the Tornado class, Russell Coutts the Finn class and Bruce Kendall took the bronze in the first Olympic sailboard competition. k The Rome Games of 1960 provided New Zea-

land’s most dramatic day. A then unknown, Peter George Snell, set a new Olympic record and blitzed a star-studded field in the final of the men’s 800 metres. That was followed almost • immediately by Murray Halberg’s triumph in the 5000 metres.

While Snell’s victory was unexpected Halberg’s was not. He had been touted as the man to beat. His mental and physical strength and tactical sense was feared by rivals.

At the start of the eighth of the 12 >4 lap race Halberg moved from midfield to second place before rocketing away from the field and within one lap of the finish had opened up a gap of 30 metres. He broke the tape, staggered to the grass on the inside of the track and collapsed before the field started to trail home in his wake. To cap the occasion Sir Arthur Porritt, a bronze medallist in the 1924 Paris Games, and the driving force of the Olympic movement in New Zealand, presented both athletes with their medals. Four years on in Tokyo, Snell repeated his 800 metre triumph'before taking the 1500 metres to become the first man since the Englishman, Albert Hill, in 1920, to win the double. In third place in the 1500 was another New Zealander, John Davies,

who but for suffering traffic problems on the final bend, could well have taken the silver.. He will coach the New Zealand track team in Seoul.

Rowing claimed its first Olympic gold in the high altitude of Mexico in 1968. The eight was favoured for the gold but it was upstaged by an untried and unproven coxed four who led from virtually the start of the race.

Although there was to be no victory on the track in Mexico, New Zealand’s presence was still felt when Mike Ryan, coached by Davies, finished third in the marathon.

Two of the coxed four crew, Dick Joyce and Simon Dickie, were members of the eight that in Munich 1972 captured the hearts of New Zealanders.

With the resources available to many of the Eastern bloc countries, the face of rowing was slowly changing. Large quantities of money and enormous scientific research were being invested in the sport but New Zealand was severely limited in both spheres.

That did not matter, however. From the 250 metre mark on the Kiwis took command and at the medal ceremony Dickie and the eight giants stood choked with emotion, tears rolling unashamedly down their cheeks. New Zealand’s second two-gold-medal haul came at Montreal in 1976.

John Walker, with Filbert Bayi and other Africans not present because of the boycott against the All Black tour of South Africa, won the 1500 metres as expected.

But the hockey team upset all the odds. They battled through the early rounds to shakily claim a semi-final berth against >the stars of the tournament, the Netherlands. The scores were locked 1-1 before New Zealand secured its final berth late in extra time. Just after half-time in the final, against Australia, the Kiwis took a 1-0 lead and then had to withstand attack after attack.