Athletics: Willis' final pledge

Kiwi running star Nick Willis believes he is a chance of a "minor medal" at the world championships starting in Helsinki on Saturday, if he can squeeze his way into the final.

The middle-distance runner failed to break John Walker's New Zealand mile record at the Bislett Games in Norway yesterday morning - running 3m 53.43s to finish 11th in the Oslo race, won by Bashir Daham Najir of Qatar in 3m 47.97s, the best time in the world this year.

But Willis has had a profitable Northern summer, breaking Walker's long-standing national 1500m record with a time of 3m 32.38s at a meet in Paris and believes he is peaking nicely for the worlds.

Although on paper it appears his times would see him struggle against the best from Africa, he believes his racing skills will hold him in good stead.

"The first priority will be to make the final. I missed out by 0.19s in Athens, so it will be very much a feeling of relief if I can reach this goal in Helsinki," Willis told the Herald on Sunday.

Willis' Olympic semifinal was raced in brutal heat that left the athlete retching post-race.

"Once in the final, I would be disappointed with anything less than seventh. Being a racer, I hate to finish any lower than halfway in a field, no matter how strong it may be.

"I will put myself in a position to have a crack at a minor medal and will be very pleased with a top-seven performance."

New Zealand's push to reclaim the athletics middle ground it once occupied so proudly is attracting the attention of former track stars.

The black singlet will be represented in the men's 800m and the women's 5000m, and Willis will have company in the 1500m with another US-based miler, Adrian Blincoe.

He sneaked into the team with 3m 35.65s at Stockholm last week.

Dick Quax, who was part of the great middle-distance triumvirate of the 70s along with John Walker and Rod Dixon, said they should use each other as spurs to perform.

"They'll know each other pretty well and get a lot of encouragement," Quax said.

"Adrian will be looking at Nick as something to aim for as Nick is currently ranked ninth in the world with his time, while Adrian is ranked considerably below that.

"He's got a way to go but he can look at Nick and say 'that's the first thing I've got to aim for, to run as well as he's running'."

Willis, too, said rather than a rivalry it will give him more confidence having Blincoe around.

"In Athens the atmosphere was very tense but to have a team-mate with you, to go through all the pre-race routines, will help immensely."

Quax has followed Willis' progress since he identified him as a 17-year-old of considerable promise and is pleased to see him taking on the 3000m as well.

"It will improve him over shorter distances. Once you start to handle the longer distances well, you handle the shorter distances even better.

"In my case I started running better 1500s once I started specialising in the 5000m."

For Willis, the 1500m and mile will always be king, although "it is important to have a good range of expertise, so that you can train different energy systems and maintain a higher level of enjoyment in the sport", Willis said.

News that two black singlets will be lining up in the 1500m at the world championships was supplemented by Kimberley Smith breaking another New Zealand record in the 5000m, when she ran 15m 05.68s to qualify for the world champs in Stockholm last week.

While Smith is still a level below the top echelon of athletes, Quax said her indoor times are an indication she has plenty left in the tank.

"She had an exceptional run indoors in Boston, where she ran 14m 50s. She hasn't yet replicated that outdoors.

"It appears to me she is running into form and if she can run that indoor time she will certainly be up there and I would imagine she'd make the final."

Jason Stewart is in the 800m after posting a B qualifying time but both he and Blincoe will not be expected to make it past the heats.

* The New Zealand public will get a chance to see Willis race in the flesh during the summer.

The 22-year-old Wellingtonian said that he will be returning home at Christmas to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Willis said plans were being made to fit in some racing among training camps.

"It's likely you'll see me run a 5000m race in January [Wellington] and two mile races in February and March in Wanganui and Auckland respectively."


- HERALD ON SUNDAY