Commonwealth Games EDMONTON 1978
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from August 1978.
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The Empire is long gone but the traditions remain and for 10 days sportsmen and women from five continents will compete in what have been dubbed "the friendly games."
No other multisports festival in the world is as relaxed and homely as the Commonwealth Games, which are comparatively free of the squabbling and tension characteristic of the Olympics.
Sporting standards here will vary considerably though the 2,000 competitors from 48 nations expected to parade in front of Queen Elizabeth tomorrow will include a fair share of world-beaters.
The success of the athletics programme will be assured by the presence of the spectacular African track stars, notably the extraordinary Henry Rono of Kenya, the only man to hold world records for the 3,000, 5,000, 10,000 metres and 3,000 metres steeple chase at the same time.
There has never been a runner in quite the same mould as Rono, and possibly never will be again.
The 26-year-old Kenyan, who studies in the United States with a couple of dozen other Kenyan runners lured to American Universities, will be the focus of more attention than any other competitior at the games.
There have been suggestions that Rono's hectic track schedule this season could thwart his medal hopes here.
But such is his overwhelming confidence that he said on arrival he was contemplating running in the 10,000 as well as the 5,000 and 3,000 metres steeple-chase, in what would be an unprecedented treble challenge. Rono will hold the sportlight occupied at the 1974 Christchurch Games by slender Tanzanian Filbert Bayi, the 1,500 metres would record-holder who, like Rono, has come to Edmonton fresh from a truimphant appearance in the African Games in Algiers. No other track and field athlete in Edmonton can match this pair in glamour, though one who could come close is Olympic 200 metres champion Don Quarrie of Jamaica, who will be seeking his third successive Commonwealth sprint double. Australian Raelene Boyle will be attempting the same feat as Quarrie, though recent injury and the advent of Jamaican Lilieth Hodges in the 100 metres and Ghana's Hannah Afriyie and England's Sonia Lannaman in the 200 could damage her chances.
In the cycling, England and Australia, who shared the bulk of the medals in Christchurch, will again be the teams to beat.
But Jamaican David Weller in the sprint and kilometre time trial is capable of matching the two Commonwealth golds won by Roger Gibbon of Trinidad 12 years ago.
