Phil Kear, born on January 25, 1950, was a gutsy 400m runner who represented New Zealand in the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games.

Kear emerged from Hutt Valley High School as a potential champion. He attended Victoria University from 1968 and represented the club in Wellington athletics meetings. Victoria fielded a strong range of sprinters then, headed by Kear on the men’s side and Penny Haworth, later Hunt, on the women’s.

Solidly built and not particularly tall, Kear engaged in years of torrid battles with Bevan Smith, who ran for Kiwi. They’d clash several times a season at the wind-exposed Evans Bay track and in later years at Newtown Park, Kear strong and determined, Smith tall and with exceptional speed.

Over 100m and 200m, Smith’s natural speed was often decisive, though not always. But over 400m, their tussles were eagerly awaited. Smith had to shepherd his strength for the final straight; Kerr wanted to make the early going tough so those desperate final 100 metres came down to a battle of wills and strength.

Kerr won the New Zealand 400m title from 1971-74 and again in 1976.

He ran a personal best and New Zealand record 46.90s to win that 1974 New Zealand title, when the championships were held in December 1973 as a trial for the Games team selection.

At the Christchurch Commonwealth Games, the opening round of the 400m fell on his 24th birthday and he celebrated by running a comfortable 47.7s to ease into the following day’s semi-finals. Unfortunately, though he improved to 47.1s, he could make no impression in the semis and finished at the tail of the field.

Kear, Smith, Laurie D’Arcy initially, and Owen Stephens were all fine Wellington sprinters and the province dominated the national sprint relays, winning 4 x 100m three times in the early 1970s and the 4 x 400m seven times from 1970-78.

After Kear finished with top-level athletics he turned his attention to his business career and rose through the ranks at BP New Zealand Ltd, basing himself for a time in Auckland. He became a director of the company in 1994.

He later moved to Australia.

Philip Kear

Biography

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