Wednesday, April 3, 1968
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Ryun hopes to begin training soon
By Carla Rupp Kansan Staff Reporter
Recovering from a pulled hamstring muscle in his left leg, KU's world record miler Jim Ryun will miss the Texas Relays April 5 and 6 in which he was slated to run the open mile and anchor the KU distance medley relay team. However, he hopes to compete in a dual meet with Florida at Gainesville, Fla., April 13.
Ryun, who was injured March 26, is off crutches but will not return to practice until after he is examined again later this week.
He sustained the injury while doing speed work on the Memorial Stadium track. He had run a series of ten 440's and was injured during the second of a series of 110-yard sprints.
"The pulled muscle came as a result of not doing much speed work in my training lately," Ryun said. He said now the speed work will have to come much later—at least until after the pulled muscle heals.
Dr. G. Bernard Joyce, Topeka orthopedic specialist, hopes Ryun will be running in the Kansas Relaws April 18-29.
He said he has a deep injury,
but that there is no discoloration.
"However, the doctor said I couldn't do any running now. But I hope to start cross-country running as soon as possible," Rynn said. "My speed work probably won't start for at least two or three weeks."
Ryun said he isn't planning on setting a record at this year's KU Relavs.
"I doubt if I'll even run as well as I did last year," Ryan said.
His new intercollegiate record and Kansas Relays record last year in the Glenn Cunningham mile run was 354.7.
"It'll be a long season until the Olympic games, so I'm not really very worried about, missing my training right now," he said.
Before he participates in the July Olympic trials Ryun, Wichita junior, said his KU schedule includes the KU Relays, the Drake Relays, the dual meet between Southern Illinois University and Kansas, the Big Eight conference meet and the NCAA meet in mid-June. He will run in the open AAU meet later that month.
"My first hope is to qualify for
the Olympic team. I'd like to run the 1500 or the 800-meters," Ryun said.
He said he hopes to move to either Flagstaff, Ariz., or South Lake Tahoe, Nev., during the latter part of June so he can train at high altitudes in preparation for the higher altitudes of Mexico City.
The only former KU chancellor who does not have a building on the Mt. Oread campus named after him is Joshua Lippincott, who served from 1883 to 1889.
"I hope I'll be able to run well enough in the Olympics because I'll be facing the best competition in the world," he said.
Ryun feels two of his top competitors in the Olympics might be Bodo Tumler from West Germany and Kip Kieno, Kenya,
Africa.
"There's a small problem with Kieno since he's from one of the 32 African nations who have said they'll boycott the Olympics," he said.
Concerning the proposed Negro boycott of the Olympics, Ryun said he's in sympathy with what the Negro athletes are trying to do.
"But I also see the other side—that is, it's unfortunate for any track athlete to pass up what might be his one Olympic opportunity. The highest honor a person can achieve in amateur athletics is to compete in the Olympics." he said.
He said that assuming he makes the Olympic team, he will go to Mexico around Oct. 1 for Olympic competition. He said he hopes he can make the necessary adjustments to the Mexico climate and that his body will adapt to the high altitudes.
Tennis meet cancelled
The University of Kansas tennis team's home opener, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, was cancelled due to wet courts affected by intermittent drizzle. The KU squad had been scheduled to play Wichita State University.
The Jayhawks opened their season 11 days ago with back-to-back 9-0 dual victories. KU's tennis team is coached by Jim Burns.
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