Athletics: Walker's rival gives praise for past, goal for future

By TERRY MADDAFORD

British great Sebastian Coe refuses to accept that African middle-distance runners cannot be challenged by athletes from other parts of the world.

Coe, now Lord Coe, will be in Auckland tonight to pay tribute to New Zealand hero and long-time rival John Walker at a charity dinner.

It is his second visit to New Zealand and his first since a "not particularly memorable" 1990 Commonwealth Games where he finished fifth in the 800m and became ill and missed the 1500m, in which Walker was tripped and finished last.

Speaking from Sydney last night, Coe said he did not believe athletes such as himself, fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram, and Walker were supermen.

Rather, he said, "we were a group of athletes who had been prepared to train hard and race hard."

"We were prepared to mix it with the best. Sadly, we are now building up a huge psychological barrier. No nation, African or otherwise, should have a feeling of superiority.

"There is no reason New Zealand, with its proud history, Britain or any other country can't get out and challenge the Africans.

"It is not a question of reinventing the wheel. It is more a case of turning it back 20 years.

"The times John Walker and I were running would put runners today under pressure."

Coe was generous in his praise of Walker.

"He never rolled over. Even when he was not in great shape he gave his best.

"Achieving what he did, John deserves his place as one of the athletes of the century.

"He had a great year in 1975 when he broke the world mile record and another in 1976 when he won gold at the Olympics.

"But he also ran extremely well beyond that. He, with Rod Dixon and Dick Quax, were part of a great era."

Yet it was a race Walker was not able to contest which remains very much part of sporting lore.

Walker is still bitter that a boycott robbed the world of what could have been the greatest middle-distance race.

The New Zealand Government's decision to follow the US-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics cost Walker the chance to defend the 1500m title he won in Montreal.

It also deprived the great American miler Steve Scott of the chance to match strides with Coe, Ovett and Steve Cram.

Tonight Coe, who won that 1980 gold and a second 1500m title four years later, and Ovett, third a couple of metres back in Moscow, will again be leading the charge.

This time, they will be paying tribute to Walker at a "Mr Invincible" dinner.

"One of the biggest regrets in my athletics career was being told to stay at home and miss the 1980 Olympics," Walker said yesterday.

"It would have given me the chance to run against some great athletes."

There will be no running or jostling tonight, but Coe, who also won 800m silver in 1980 and 1984, and Ovett, the 800m gold medallist in Moscow, will leave no doubt as to the esteem in which they, and many others, hold Walker.

Ovett, now living at Noosa on Australia's Sunshine Coast, arrived last night for the dinner.

Other special guests will include Murray Halberg, Dick Tayler, Walker's coach Arch Jelley, Quax, Ian Ferguson, Mark Todd, Colin Meads and Alison Roe.

A limited number of tickets for the dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in support of Variety, the children's charity, and the Parkinson Society (Auckland) are still available.