Willis withdraws from mile field
4 March 2009
For immediate release
Willis
withdraws from mile field
Olympic bronze 1500m runner Nick
Willis announced yesterday that he
will be unable to join
the mile field in next Friday’s International
Track
Meet due to a hip injury.
Willis, who had stated his
intention to target John Walker’s
longstanding NZ all
comers record at the meet, will still be in
Christchurch
for the track meet and will be undertaking all
his
intended promotional appearances.
“This has been
extremely heartbreaking for me as I have been
wanting
desperately to race some world-class races in New
Zealand since the
Olympic Games” said Willis yesterday.
“The event organisers in
Christchurch have done such
a fantastic job at putting up high quality
fields that
the meet will be successful with me watching from
the
sidelines. I’m excited I can still be involved
talking to the kids
and signing autographs before and
after the race.”
With Willis’s withdrawal from the
mile, 2008 world’s fastest miler
Andrew Baddeley will
start the race as favourite as he and Beijing
Olympian
training partner Jeff Riseley attempt Walkers record.
The
pair will face strong competition from the four other
sub-four
minute milers in the field,including 3:53s
milers Lachlan Chisholm
and double US indoor 1500m
champion Rob Myers, Australian Beijing
Olympian Collis
Birmingham and the fastest New Zealander in the
race
Gareth Hyett.
Willis has also withdrawn from his only
other NZ race the Milestone
Street Mile in Petone but
will also attend that event for
promotional
purposes.
Ends