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Salient: Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Vol. 32, No. 6. 1969.

Otago Dominates Athletics

Otago Dominates Athletics

Phil Kear from Victoria win the 100 yards sprint. He equalled the NZU Tournament record but with more aid from wind than the rules allow.

Phil Kear from Victoria win the 100 yards sprint. He equalled the NZU Tournament record but with more aid from wind than the rules allow.

Otago dominated both sections of the athletics and won the men's section with a total of more than that of all the other universities combined. There was only one event, the 440 yds, in which an Otago competitor failed to come in the first three.

This dominance was equally pronounced in the women's section which Otago won just as comfortably as the men's.

The total points scored by the various universities for the Women's Athletic Shield were as follows: Otago (64) 1; Canterbury (13) 2; Massey (6) 3; Auckland (4) 4; Victoria (2) 5; Waikato (0) 6.

For the Men's Championship Shield the points were: Otago (98) 1; Auckland '(28) 2; Canterbury (23) 3; Victoria (22) 4; Massey (10) 5; Lincoln (8) 6.

The outstanding athlete in the track events was undoubtedly Auckland's John Le Grice, the national three miles champion, who equalled John Beckett's NZU mile record of 4 min 6.0 sec. and just as effortlessly won the three mile title in the lime of 13 min. 52.4 sec. Both races saw an interesting duel take place between Le Grice and Tony Hassell of Otago with Le Grice winning both races in the final 220 yards. Hassell's times were 4 min. 6.5 sec. for the mile and 13 min. 54.2 sec. for the three miles.

Stars of the field events were Arthur Jordan (Auckland) and Bill Speirs (Otago), both who in one of the best exhibitions of high jumping seen in New Zealand for 10 years (broke Murray Jeffries NZU record of 6 ft. 5 in, with leaps of 6 ft 6 in.

Speirs is the present NZ Champion and holds the New Zealand record at 6 ft. 8 in. and was the favourite for the event Jordan won on a countback after both had cleared 6 ft. 6 in., Jordan on his second attempt and Speirs on his third. Jordan broke the New Zealand high jump mark last year with a leap of 6 ft 8 in. but was unable to claim because of a technical mistake.

An outstanding Victoria athlete was Vince Alisae, a fresher, who took both the triple jump and long jump titles, the first Vic athlete to win a jumping event since Brian Collins in 1966. His dominance in the triple jump is shown by the fact that the second placegetter was some 2 ft 6 in. behind.

Another Vic athlete who competed well was Phil Kear who, in winning the 100yds. title in 9.9 sec., defeated the 1968 titleholder F. Silke of Otago. Phil's lime equalled the NZU record, but the following wind of 7.2 feet per second was above the allowable margin of 6.6 feet per second. He also gained second place in the 440 yards final.

Another creditable performance was that of fresher. Ian Hunt who gained third place in the six miles. This should be an indication of things to come at future tournaments, Others to perform well were Rosemary Askin, one of Vic's two female reps and Peter Ammundsen who in recording 50.7 sec for the 440 yards narnorwly missed out on third placing.

A collision with the last hurdle in the 220 yards hurdles event robbed John McGreal of a virtually certain third placing. Lack of competition made the difference in the men's Javelin with Victoria's Dave Burton just missing out on third place by a few inches.

One must also mention the the gallant Vic men's 4 × 440 yard relay team which had only one 440 yard runner in it The others being a would-be half-miler, long-jumper and six miler. Victoria failed to come home in the first three but still managed to record a time of 3 min. 34.2 seconds only 0.1 sec. behind Auckland, the third team home.

Vic Rep Vince Alisae wins the long jump at Easter Tournament.

Vic Rep Vince Alisae wins the long jump at Easter Tournament.