Athletics: Russians leading influx of stars to train in NZ

By Suzanne McFadden

The invasion has begun - and who better to lead it than the Russians?

Russia's top field athletes have come to New Zealand for a six-week training camp with their vision set on the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

It is certain to be the start of the world's sports stars flocking south in the Northern Hemisphere winter to acclimatise to Sydney-like conditions.

The Russians are like one big family, literally. There are husband and wife Sergey Makarov, fifth in the world in the javelin, and Oxana Makarova, seventh in the women's javelin.

Makarov's father, Alexandre, is here as the couple's coach and also as babysitter to grandson Sergey.

Natalia Sadova, 1996 Olympic silver medallist in the discus, has brought her husband and coach, Mikhail Sadov.

They left their six-year-old daughter at home in central Russia.

"We cannot bring our mother or father to look after her here, and we need to take our training very seriously," Sadova said.

Sadova and her husband came to New Zealand last year, which has triggered their return this time with their team-mates.

But why did they not go straight to Sydney and train?

Next month's International Classics series - the Porritt Classic in Hamilton and the Robin Tait meeting in Auckland - is part of the drawcard.

"Also we don't know Sydney. We don't want to have to find new places to stay and train. It is perfect here," Sadova said.

"We are ready to help any New Zealanders as well. But we have one problem - we don't speak English."

Through an interpreter, they say their training base at Sovereign Stadium, tucked behind Rangitoto College, is similar to their Russian camp, in Sochi on the Black Sea.

But the Russian training camps have dried up since the country's economy went belly-up.

"Usually our national team has about 10 camps a year," said Makarov. "But now we have none, now that the Government cannot pay for them."

Before heading to Auckland, the throwers, all full-time athletes, had been training indoors in Russia - not very conducive to javelin and discus throwing.

When they have gone outdoors, it has been a little cold. Said Mikhail Sadov: "When I run to pick up the discus, the snow is up to my knees."

Two other team-mates have yet to arrive - discus thrower Sergey Lyakov, who was second on the 1995 world grand prix circuit, and Vladimir Ovchinnikov, the 1988 world junior javelin champion.

German javelin throwers Raymond Hecht, a bronze medallist in last year's World Cup, and Peter Blank, will also join in on the act.

Athletics New Zealand chairman Graeme Avery said he expected more of the world's top competitors to camp in New Zealand over the next 18 months.

"They're coming because of the friendliness of New Zealanders, the warmer climate, the quality of our facilities and the competition," he said.

"They don't have to go to Australia. New Zealand always sells itself short, but everything we have here equals, or can even surpass, what Australia has."

The Robin Tait Classic has attracted athletes from 22 countries, including some from Chile, Israel and Saudi Arabia.