Athletics: NZ runner surrounded by winners

By EUGENE BINGHAM

Nick Willis is getting a new schoolmate after the Olympics - superstar swimmer Michael Phelps.

The American swimming freak, who early yesterday won the first of what he hopes will be eight golds, is moving to Michigan University, where the New Zealand Olympic middle-distance runner has been based for two years.

Phelps is following his coach, Bill Bowman, who is Michigan's new head of swimming.

It is another sign of the growing stature of the university where Willis has thrived since taking up a scholarship.

The 21-year-old said he enjoyed Michigan's environment of winning.

A friend of Willis' from the university, Peter Vanderkaay, is a member of the US swimming team and is hoping to win a gold medal as a member of the 4x200m relay team with Phelps.

"There's a culture of excellence - the football team is one of the best, the swimming team is one of the best," said Willis.

"I'm just a nobody. Unless you perform, you don't get any attention."

Willis, who hopes to make the 1500m final, has returned to training after a sinus infection.

His first race is not until Saturday morning (NZ time) and he has found one of the hardest things to get used to in Athens is whiling time away.

"It's a matter of passing time without expending energy.

"I usually play Scrabble with my room-mate, Jason Stewart, [800m runner] and a couple of the swimmers.

"It's a long wait. I just want to put on my favourite spikes which are eight years old and do the business."