Magnificent Sprint By Davies To Win 5000m.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30960, 17 January 1966, Page 13

Magnificent Sprint By Davies To Win 5000m.

New Zealand’s bespectacled 1500-metres bronze medallist, J. L. Davies (Waikato), unexpectedly triumphed over several of the world’s leading distance runners to win convincingly his first serious international 5000 metres race on Saturday after a magnificent 300-yard sprint to the tape which took the field completely by surprise.

The race —the main feature of the Rothmans sponsored international meeting at Lancaster Park—quickly developed into a tremendous tactical struggle, none of the strongest contenders being prepared to do any of the pace making. Davies stayed with the leading bunch throughout, timing his jump on the field with great precision.

By the time the 22-year-old Russian 3000 metres steeplechase champion, Viktor Kudinsky, and New Zealand’s W. D. Baillie (Auckland), had realised that Davies was making his bid it was too late for them to do anything about it. Kudinsky turned on a powerful sprint to narrow the gap slightly but at the finish Davies was well in command of the situation.

His winning time of 13min 54.45ec was well outside the present New Zealand resident record of 13min 38.4 sec, set by M. G. Halberg in 1962, but this did not detract from what was undoubtedly an outstanding achievement one which fully confirmed the opinion of the prominent coach, Mr A. L. Lydiard, that Davies’s greatest potential lay in distances 'onger than the mile.

Kudinsky finished second, Msec behind, Baillie, the pr> race favourite, just managing to hold off the Russian 5000 metres champion, Leonid Ivanov, for third place. Fourth place went to the Yugoslav, Franc Cervan, with B. Jones (Canterbury), Simo Vazic (Yugoslavia) and E Gray (Greymouth) following him across the line in that order.

After the race Davies confirmed that his intention was to try for selection in the three-miles as well as the mile in the Jamaica Empire Games later this year. Led Field

Because of the dislike of pace making shown by the leading athletes, it was left to Canterbury’s three-mile champion, Jones, to lead the field for much of the distance. He took he field through the first two laps in 65sec and 67sec, respectively, the required tempo for a record, but then the pace dropped away. The Otago athlete, B. Taylor, took a lap and the time dropped another second. Jones realised that the pace was dropping too much and again went back to the frent, leading the field through the mile mark in approximately 4min 30sec. At this stage the leading bunch comprised Jones, Taylor, Davies, Cervan, Kudinsky, Ivanov, Baillie and Vasic.

On the next lap, Taylor dropped right back. The field went through the second mile in 4min 35sec, Jones still setting the pace and Davies close on his heels. At one stage Jones slackened right off in an effort to get someone to share the oace-making but to no avail. The field slowed to a trot, determined not to carry any of the weary burden of leading, and Jones once again quickened his tempo.

Unexpected Challenge

At the end of the eighth lap, the West Coaster, E. Gray suddenly appeared from nowhere at the tail of the leading bunch. And then he injected a considerable amount of drama into the situation by sprinting round the entire field the following lap to take the lead.

This unexpected challenge shocked the leaders into action. Davies and Kudinsky elbowed their way past Jones and as the speed increased Cervan dropped back. At the end of the tenth lap the order was: Gray. Davies, Kudinsky. Jones. Ivanov, Cervan. Baillie and Vasic. On the penultimat lap. the field began bustling for jnsitions in nrenaration for the inevitable snrint. Ivanov raced tc» the front, followed closely

by Baillie, Kudinsky and Jones. Davies was comfortably in fifth place while Gray, tiring rapidly after his tremendous effort, trailed the leading bunch. Furious Sprint

From his position near the rear of the main field, Davies was in a wonderful position to spring a surprise and he certainly did not miss his opportunity. Entering the embankment straight for the final time, he swung wide and sprinted furiously. His burst carried him 10 yards clear before anyone went after him.

Kudinsky and Baillie were the first to react but they were too late to catch the flying Davies. Jones, the man who did most of the work, was the first local athlete to finish. His time for sixth place was a very creditable 14min 3sec. Davies’s three-mile time, taken in case of a record, was 13min 31.8 sec. During the race while gulping in air he sucked a bee into his mouth which left its sting in his tongue. Far from reducing his performance, this appeared to intensify his determination to win. Raiko Wins 880 yd The international half-mile was expected to be a runaway victory for the top ranked Russian 1500 metres runner, Olyeg Raiko, but he

had to pull out all stops to stay ahead of Canterbury’s B. Dyer and B. Smith. Dyer, who recently set a Canterbury two-mile record, shot to the front at the gun with Raiko tucked in behind. Approaching the bell, Raiko attempted to come past but Dyer pluckily fought him off to lead the field past the start-finish in 55.65ec. Raiko made another attempt to get by at the entrance to the back straight and this time he was successful.

He sprinted ahead and Dyer, almost exhausted after his fast opening lap, could not respond. Then Smith, who has not shown good form for some time, unleashed a terrific sprint to pass Dyer and narrow the gap to Raiko slightly. However, Raiko just increased his speed, winning comfortably in Imin 51.8 sec, a time which equalled the Canterbury record.

Gordon, the present Canterbury half-mile champion, could do no better than fifth behind W. Slinn. The New Zealand quartermile champion, D. W. MacKenzie (Canterbury) comfortably won the 440 yard event in 47.8 sec to lower his old Canterbury record by ,4sec. This outstanding time was only just outside the national open record of 47.25ec, held jointly by G. Kerr (Jamaica) and B. Robinson (Auckland). C. Maguire (Otago) was second in 48.6 sec and Canterbury’s A. G. Steele third in 49sec.

In the invitation 100 yards, the first two placings were reversed. Maguire, the co-holder of the National resident record, streaked through the tape in 9.9 sec, just ahead of

Mackenzie and Steel. So close were the three at the finish that Steel and Maguire collided as they went through the tape and went crashing to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. Not until the victory ceremony was the outcome settled. Mackenzie was credited with lOsec in running second and Steel 10.1 in taking third. It was a pity that the size of the crowd, 4000, did not do justice to the quality of the performances of the meeting.