1956 gold winner to walk for N.Z.

Press, 11 April 1979, Page 46

1956 gold winner to walk for N.Z.

By

ROD DEW

The gold medal wanner in the 50km road walk in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, Norman Read (West Coast North Island), has been included in the New Zealand team for the walking match against Australia in Auckland on Saturday and Sunday. Read, who is now 47, has not represented New Zealand since the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, but has continued to compete in national championships with considerable success. He has won the New Zealand 50km road title

10 times, the last being only four years ago.

He has been chosen to compete over this distance in Auckland on Saturday. His partners in the 50km will include two other former New Zealand champions, John Rayner (Otago), and Morrie Hinton (Auckland). The fourth member of the New Zealand 50km squad is Kevin Henwood (Auckland). The two-day meeting this week-end is the third annual contest between New Zealand and Australian road walkers, but previously it has been restricted to one 20km race. This time, New Zealand’s greatest chance of success appears to be in the

20km event,- which will take place on Sunday. In this, the Commonwealth Games representative, Graham Seatter (Christchurch), is .hoping to become the first . person to complete the distance in New Zealand in less than 90min.

He has not raced over 20km since the Games because of troublesome foot injuries sustained in the heat of the walk at Edmonton last year. However, he said yesterday he was now in fine shape and confident of doing well. He holds the New Zealand record at Ih 27min 375, set overseas, and believes he can go very close to this, in

spite of a very demanding schedule this week-end.

On Saturday he will compete in the 3000 m track walk for his club, Old BoysTe Kura, in the New Zealand track and field club championship final at the Hastings Highland Games before flying to Auckland. “It should be all right, provided the aircraft are flying again,” he said. Other walkers chosen to represent New Zealand in the 20km are Peter Fox (West Coast North Island), Ross Pilkington (Auckland), who is the reigning New Zealand champion, and Kevin Taylor (Auckland), the holder of the 50km title. Hamish Riach (Christchurch)

is a travelling reserve. Fox, Henwood, and Rayner have not previously represented New Zealand, Fox has been competing in England for the last two years and only returned recently. The Australian team’s best chance of victory this week-end is In the 50km. its best performer, Robin Whvte, has a best time of 4h 20min. Apart from Read, no New Zealanders, have ever walked the distance faster than 4h 30min. The Australian team is:— 20km. — Joe Anderson (Victoria), Bill Dyer (Victoria), Frank Overton (New South Wales), John Sheard (Victoria).

50km.— Eddie Dawkings (New South Wales), Clarrie Jack (Victoria), lan Jack (Victoria), Robin Whyte (New South Wales).