M85 world record attempt touted in New Zealand
This may be a first. A New Zealand newspaper is hyping a masters meet by focusing on a possible M85 world record. The report in the Wanganui Chronicle talks about Eric deLatour of Tauranga, who missed setting a 1500 record by .02 second in January at the Oceania Masters Athletics meet. This could be the first sub-7 metric mile in history for his age group. Go Eric!
Here’s the Chronicle story:
World record bid athletics highlight
02.03.2006
ATHLETICS: Hot on the heels of the successful Mayoral Mile event at Wanganui, Westpac Stadium Cooks Garden is hosting the New Zealand Masters Athletics championships from tomorrow. The championships start tomorrow evening and continue through to Monday with 209 athletes competing between the ages of 30 and 90.
A highlight of Saturday morning’s proceedings is the world record attempt in the 1500m (85-89 year age group) by 85-year-old Eric deLatour of Tauranga. DeLatour won the 1500m at the Oceania Masters Athletics championships in Christchurch in January and narrowly missed taking the record by 2/100ths of a second.
The world record has lasted 19 years, being set in 1987 by Longino Perez (Mexico) with a time of 7min 3.38sec. The weekend’s events, which number 137, are being run by the Wanganui Athletic Club for Manawatu-Wanganui Masters Athletics.
The Saturday programme starts at 9am with the 100m sprint finals, featuring both the youngest athlete, 31-year-old Vanessa Story of Feilding and the oldest, 90-year-old Lewis Taylor of Auckland. DeLatour’s world record attempt 1500m race is scheduled for a 10.10am start.
Tomorrow evening sees probably the most well-performed athlete at the meet. Northland’s Gary Little, the current world record-holder in the men’s 45, 50 and 60 age group, will be in action in the 3000-metre race walk. Little also holds eight other world age group walk records.
Also in the 22-strong field is the current New Zealand open women’s 10km road walk champion Michelle Lei (Palmerston North). Several overseas athletes have entered, including Kevin Archer (England) returning to Cooks Garden where he won three gold medals on the track in the 2005 NZ Masters Games. Local athletes to watch for include retired policeman Ray Langmead, 77, entered in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m and muscle men Bo Cox (M60) and Taihape farmer Laurie Devlin (M70) in the throwing and weight-based events.
