Athletics: Willis says 1500m still in sights at Games

Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis will seek to defend his Commonwealth Games 1500m title after all.

Willis moved swiftly today to correct a website report out of Boston this week that he would only contest the 800m at the Games in New Delhi in October.

"It seems maybe my Kiwi accent didn't have the benefits in the States that it normally does," Willis told Radio Live.

"A reporter wrote down that I wasn't going to be doing the 1500m but what I was trying so say was that I'm going to be putting focus on the 800m in addition to the 1500m. The plan is still to do the double and that's what I'm going to be doing."

Willis had surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip in April followed by five months of rehabilitation, then spent time training and competing in New Zealand before returning to the United States for the Boston indoor games last Sunday (NZT).

There he defended his mile title with a sharp performance, winning in a classy three minutes 55.27 seconds.

He will next race in New Zealand on March 18 in Christchurch, where he will attempt to go under 1min 45sec over 800m, which would be easily quick enough to qualify for New Delhi.

Willis hinted he would even attempt a crack at Peter Snell's legendary New Zealand record over the distance, set in Christchurch in 1962. Snell ran a then-world record 1min 44.3sec on grass at Lancaster Park, timed while completing an 880-yard race.

- NZPA