Clode seeks middle-distance double

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 23

Clode seeks middle-distance double

By

ROD DEW

The surprise winner of the Canterbury 1500 m championship last Sunday, Phillip Clode (University), will attempt to complete the coveted middle-dis-tance double when the 800 m final is decided on the final day of the FreshUp provincial track and field championships at Queen Elizabeth II Park on Sunday. "The 800 m is more my forte,” he said after his splendid 1500 m win. “This is the distance I have been doing well in all season.” Clode ran 4.5 s faster than he has before to win the 1500 m crown from two highly regarded middle-distance runners, Colin McDonald (Technical) and Michael Gilchrist (Technical). He might not need such a spectacular improvement to win the 800 m final, but the competition will be strong. McDonald, who regards the 800 m as a secondary event, holds top ranking in Canterbury with Imin 50.455. After being run down in the finishing straight by Clode last Sunday he is certain to make a special effort to claim the title. It might also be his last chance for a really fast time because he is to restrict his activities to the 1500 m for the New Zealand championships on the same track in March. Clode, aged 19, is third in the rankings with his Imin 50.655, run a few weeks ago, and likely to

improve on this in championship conditions.

The dark horse in the field could be the New Zealand 400 m hurdles champion, Wayne Paul (Papanui-Redwood). He will contest the 400m 1 hurdles championship,; which should be a straight final, on Saturday — if conditions are good. This will leave him free to race in the 800 m championship, an ' event in which he has shown no little ability. At present, he holds second ranking with Imin 50.635. Bold showings can also be expected from Clay Penrose (New Brighton) and Vem Roberts (Toe H), who have best times this summer of imin 52.6 s and Imin 51.95, respectively. The New Zealand crosscountry representative, Sue Bruce (New Brighton), is favoured to add the women’s 800 m crown to the 1500 m title she won last Sunday. She has the best time by a Canterbury athlete this season of 2min 14.55. Her closest rival is likely to be the experienced Anne Marie Tweedie (University), who is rapidly regaining her best form. She has run the distance only half a second slower, and can

be relied on to make a very strong challenge. A young athlete of considerable promise, Caroline Barrie (New Brighton), and her club-mate, Sharon Hughes (New Brighton), cannot be counted out, either. One of the most interesting events of the week-end will be the men’s 5000 m on Sunday. Not only is it difficult to predict a winner, but it is almost impossible to guess who will actually turn up on the start line. The two Canterbury members of the New Zealand cross-country team, Dave Burridge (University) and Peter Renner (New Brighton), are doubtful starters. Burridge holds top ranking with his 13min 38.45 s twilight run a few weeks ago, and if he starts he will be very hard to beat. Renner is the runner with the best chance of lowering Burridge’s colours, although the attraction of rich rewards in a northern 10,000 m road race might prove too strong an attraction to resist.

One top athlete who will definitely start is the former Commonwealth Games 1500 m finalist, Michael Gilchrist, who is hoping for an Edinburgh

Commonwealth Games qualifying time in both the 5000 m and the 3000 m steeplechase this season. He might not yet be ready for the 13min 35s run he. needs for a ticket to Edinburgh, but he must have a very good chance of winning the title in very respectable time. At this stage of his build-up, he is capable of running the distance in 13min 455. Whether he achieves such a fast time will depend on how seriously he approaches the race. His 3min 44s run for third in the Canterbury 1500 m championship last Sunday was quite outstanding, considering it was his first run over the distance this season. Had it not been for an inexplicable falter on the third lap, he might have won. Another hot prospect is Chris Tobin (South Canterbury), who has a best this season of 13min 51.15. He had very bad luck in the recent New Zealand 10,000 m championship at Wellington. A rival accidentally stood on the back of one of his running shoes and pulled it off while he was contesting the lead with two-thirds of the distance gone. There are those that feel he would have finished in the first three in

the championship, and perhaps secured a berth in the New Zealand crosscountry team, had it not been for this ill-fortune. Two other likely starters are Tom Bimie (New Brighton) and Bruce Rattray (Christchurch), who have recorded identical times this season, 14min 39.695. There will be a lot of support for Lynette Stock (Technical), who hopes to retain her 100 m hurdles championship with a Commonwealth Games qualifying performance. She has twice beaten the Games time of 13.745, only to have it ruled out because of slight wind assistance. “She is a real fighter, and on the right day she will get there,” her coach, Mr Valdemars Briedis, said yesterday. Another of Mr Briedis’s athletes aiming for a fast time is Bev Peterson (Technical), who claimed the 100 m championship with a record run of 11.74 s last Saturday. She is aiming to win the 200 m championship next Sunday, and improve still further on the Canterbury record of 23.99 s she set in Wellington earlier this season. A Commonwealth Games qualifying run of

23.54 s is not beyond her. Nicky Doyle (Technical), Stock, and Vicky Lewis (Old Boys) will be her main rivals. In the men’s hammer, a keen tussle is likely between Bernie Harland and Matt Leech (both Technical) and a throw substantially better than 50m is expected from the winner. Sunday might also be the day for a New Zealand record in the pole vault. Kieran McKee (Toe H), who holds the record at 5.01 m, has been close to this level on several occasions this season. He needs a 5.02 m clearance to win consideration for the Commonwealth Games team.