Willis confirms 1500m Games bid 

Published: 8:00AM Wednesday February 10, 2010

Source: NZPA

Willis confirms 1500m Games bid (Source: Photosport)

Source: PhotosportNew Zealand's Nick Willis

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

Willis moved swiftly on Wednesday 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."

Rehabilitation

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.


Tools: Print     Text Size


Advertisement
 

ONE Sport TV Schedule

Find out what sport is on and when on TVNZ this month

ONE Sport FREE ondemand

The latest sports news bulletin as well as local and international sporting events

Sport on 7

A variety of sports shows profiling popular sports and rounding up news and events in the…

Kris Gemmell wins the mens elite race at the Contact Tri Series (Source: Photosport)

Contact Tri TV

Contact Tri TV - the place to watch the best of both local and international…

Tools: Print     Text Size

Provocative, unflinching, Thursday 9:30pm
Back Benches - giving politics back to the people
The way New Zealand wakes up weekdays, 6:30am
No one gets you closer, weeknights 7pm
Looking out for the little guy, Wednesday 7:30pm
Meet the people that bring you the news
TV ONE weekdays, 6am
The home of NZ politics - Sunday, 9am TV ONE
Where there's a story, we'll find it, Sunday 7:30pm
Te Karere, Maori News - 4pm weekdays, TV ONE
News on digital channel TVNZ 7

Advertising