Athletics: Winchester guns for top 12

By Terry Maddaford

At 119kg and 1.94m it is hard to imagine Ian Winchester living in anyone's shadow, but for the past couple of years that has been the story of his life.

Despite breaking the New Zealand discus record three times, representing his country at the Commonwealth Games and gathering his share of New Zealand titles, the 26-year-old gentle giant is still best known as Beatrice Faumuina's training partner.

Not that it really bugs Winchester, but he would not mind, occasionally, being recog-nised for his own deeds.

"Sure, I suppose I'm a little bit overshadowed by Beatrice and what she has done," he said. "But really, we just work out together and encourage each other."

Both are trained by Les Mills. Winchester is staying with Mills and his wife, Colleen, before he leaves for a second tilt at the world championships in Seville in August, where Mills will be on hand to supervise his proteges in their final preparations and at the championships.

"My aim is to at least make the final [top 12] and see if I can do better than the 12th I managed last time," said Winchester, who leaves with Faumuina at the end of the month to train, and they hope, get some early competition in San Francisco, Belgium and Portugal.

His employers, AGC Finance, are allowing him the 11 weeks he needs to chase his place in the sun.

A product of Te Awamutu primary, intermediate and secondary schools, Winchester first dabbled in athletics when, as an eight-year-old, his mother took him to the local club.

By his fourth-form year he was showing out as a tall and skinny discus thrower. From 1994-96 he was on a scholarship at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

In July 1997, en route to the world championships in Athens, with a throw in which he reckons everything fell into place, he broke Robin Tait's 1974 63.08m record with his 63.32m.

That was the start. By January last year he had wiped Tait's name from the record-books with a New Zealand resident and national record of 63.57m in Hamilton. Winchester upped that to 63.74m in April in San Diego. His sights are now set on 65m which would, he reckons, get him into the world's top 20.

Winchester, like Faumuina, is regarded as clean as clean can be in a sport tainted by drug scandals. He said he was very sceptical on his first United States foray but he would not know where to look for drugs.

"My coach is very anti-drugs and so am I. I wanted to be recognised for what I have achieved purely on athletic ability."

Outside sport he admits he loves to sleep and have dinner with friends but there is not a lot of spare time in a schedule revolving around work, training and worldwide competition.

Winchester would have it no other way.