Athletics Stapylton-Smith too good

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 22

Athletics Stapylton-Smith too good

By ROD DEW The all-round skills of the reigning New Zealand heptathlon champion, Leanne Stapylton-Smith (Old BoysUnited), proved too much for her rivals in the two-day Canterbury championship, which ended at Queen Elizabeth 11. Park yesterday afternoon.

Stapylton-Smith completed the seven-event contest with 4900 points after holding an overnight lead of 223 points over the promising young South Canterbury representative, Joanne Henry. StapyltonSmith’s tally represented an improvement of 187 points on the score which won her the national crown earlier this year. Yesterday, Stapylton-Smith resumed strongly, winning the long jump with a leap of 5.83 m. But in the remaining two events, Henry, runner-up in the national junior championship last season, made ground, winning the javelin (29.40 m and the final event, the 800 m (2min 20.75), for a grand total of 4752 points, a new Canterbury under-18 record in spite of the higher hurdles used in the senior event.

Third place went to a young visitor from Auckland, Kate Newman (North Shore Bays), with 4340 points. Diana Mannis (Papanui-Toc HO) was fourth on 3613. On Saturday, StapyltonSmith was in superb form, finishing first in three of the four events. She recorded 15.13 s for the 100 m hurdles, cleared 1.71 m in the high jump, sent the shot thudding out to 9.52 m, and sprinted 200 m in 25.76 for an overnight total of 3008.' After winning the long jump yesterday, she dropped a little with a javelin throw of only 20.58 m, but kept in touch with Henry throughout the 800 m to be certain of victory. Her time was 2min 22.25.

Henry won the shot on the first day with 9.97 m. She recorded 15.6 s for 100 m hurdles, 1.56 m in the high jump, and 25.91 s in the 200 m. Her first-day total was 2785. Yesterday, she recorded 5.46 m in the long jump before finishing with a flourish with wins in the javelin and 800 m.

The Trust Bank Canterbury “Athlete of the Week” award went to the New Zealand long jump champion, Jayne Mitchell (Old Boys-United), partly in recognition of her outstanding New Zealand long jump record leap of 6.55 m in Auckland a fortnight earlier, and partly for her fine run of 56.5 s in the 400 m sprint on Saturday. Mitchell, who usually restricts herself to the short sprints, was clearly superior, although Joan Merrifield (University) ran well to finish second in 60.55. . Merrifield’s top effort came in the 800 m, which she won in the excellent time of 2min 14.2 s after a tense battle with Debbie Sheddan (Olympic). Sheddan’s time was 2min 14.65. Third was Fiona Barnes (Old BoysUnited) in 2min 15.55.

Mitchell also contested the 100 m sprint, finishing second to an in-form Bev Peterson

(Technical) in 12s. Peterson won in a smart 11.8 s, and also won the 60m dash in 7.55.

Craig Galilee (Old BoysUnited) claimed the senior men’s sprint double with an 11.1 s win in the 100 m and victory in 22.3 s in the longer sprint. The runner-up both times was a visitor from Auckland, David Oxner, who had the satisfaction of winning the 300 m hurdles. Andrew Sullivan (Old BoysUnited) was another double winner, in the long jump (6.78 m and the triple jump (13.56 m A place in the New Zealand junior cross-country team for the world championships in Norway next March seems assured for Richard Lindross (Old Boys-United) after his superb 5000 m run in senior company.

The reigning national 10,000 m champion, Tom Birnie (New Brighton), reached the finish half a stride in front after coming from behind at the turn. But the time-keepers could not separate them. Both were credited with an excellent 14min 21s. A distant third was Grant McEwen (New Brighton) in 14min 40s. The time was a personal best for Lindroos, who finished with a badly blistered foot, but in good spirits. He had started the race with his sights on the cross-country qualifying time of 14min 30s, and was more than happy to have dipped inside this by more than eight seconds. “That is a good Christmas present,” he said afterwards. “I hope the New Zealand selectors see that.”

Lindroos’s previous best was 15min .02s, so the time represents a giant step forward. He admitted that he found the last few laps pretty tough, and acknowledged the help he had from the national senior 5000 m champion, Phil Clode (St Martins), and the spur provided by Birnie. Clode pulled out three laps from the finish, which was disappointing. He never had any intention of finishing the race.

The New Zealand junior record of 14min Is in in the back of Lindroos’s mind, but he feels that he will not be ready to challenge this until next year. Now only 18, he has another season as a junior ahead. His youth is also against him achieving selection for the 1990 Commonwealth Games, although he is not discounting his chances.

If he is to force his way into the Games team, then it will be as a 1500 m runner. In the meantime, he has his sights set on the New Zealand junior'3ooom record of Bmin 17.25. His next chance will come in the Robin Tait Memorial meeting in Auckland on January 21. His personal best is a mere second outside the record. The first Canterbury senior championship of the season, the 3000 m steeplechase, went to Paul Smith (Olympic), in 9min 9.15. His win over the favoured Duane Humphreys (New Brighton) was a convincing one. Humphreys finished second in 9min 225, with Steven Balderstone

(North Canterbury) picking up third place. New Zealand’s leading steeplechaser, Peter Renner (New Brighton), did not start, saving himself for a sharpening race over a mile in Wanganui yesterday. There was some first-class javelin throwing in both men’s and women’s grades. Kay Nordstrom (Papanui-Toc H), the reigning New Zealand champion, was short of her Canterbury record-breaking effort of 50m-plus a week earlier, but not by much. Her best throw was a worthy 49.84 m, an indication of even bigger throws to come. The runner-up was a former New Zealand champion, Lyn Osmers (Technical), now building up for the heptathlon after a year off. Her best on the day was 36.82 m.

In the men’s event, John

Stapylton-Smith (Papanui-Toc H) broke the 70m mark again, this time by 12cm, leaving little doubt that another New Zealand championship and selection for a second Commonwealth Games are well within his reach.

Vai Young (Technical) continued to turn back the years with an excellent winning throw of 41.38 m in the women's discus. Catherine Knowsley (Old Boys-United) just missed a 40m throw with her best effort of 39.36 m, leaving third place for Jan Maxwell (Technical) on 38.92 m.

Maxwell won the shot with a heave of 13.61 m, down a little on her recent 14m effort but a solid put, nevertheless. Tania Lutton (Technical) was second on 13.15 m, also less than her recent best.

Canterbury’s champion schoolboy walker, Shane Brown (Cashmere-Hillmor-ton), proved too good for his senior rivals in the open 10km walk, winning in 52min 19.25. Wayne Marriott (University) was the first of the senior walkers home, in 53min 26.75.

The junior “Athlete of the Week” award went to Adrienne Lynn (Papanui-Toc H)

for her 38.86 m throw in tin girls’ under-16 discus.