Russian Team Arrives

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30958, 14 January 1966, Page 11

Russian Team Arrives

The Russian team to compete in the Rothmans athletic meeting at Lancaster Park on Saturday arrived in Christchurch yesterday afternoon.

Today, they will make final preparations for their battles with New Zealand’s leading competitors. Last evening the Russian coach, Mr Gabriel Korobkov, was again at Rugby Park to offer guidance to leading local

athletes. He spent about half-an-hour with the New Zealand quarter-mile champion, D. W. Mackenzie, improving his starting technique. A small crowd of spectators who arrived to see the Rus-

sian team in training was disappointed. The athletes did not show up The Russians who will compete in Saturday's meeting are:—

Leonid Ivanov, aged 28, U.S.S.R. 5000 and 10.000 metres champion; Viktor Kudinsky, 22, U.S.S.R. 3000 metres steeplechase champion; Clyeg Raiko, U.S.S.R. 1500 metres champion: and Mikhail Storozhenko, 28, top decathlon performer in the world at present.

The two women competitors are Tamara Press, 28, winner of the women’s shot put at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games and of the discus in 1964, world record-holder in both events; and Irina Press, 26, Olympic champion in the 80 metres hurdles in 1960 and the pentathlon in 1964, also the world record holder. The two Jugoslav runners. F. Cervan and S. Vasic, are expected to arrive from the West Coast today with the New Zealand coach, Mr A. L. Lydiard.