Roger Main

Roger Main competed in the decathlon in two Commonwealth Games and for a time held the New Zealand 110m hurdles record. He also played representative rugby for Northland as a winger, and played some minor rep matches for Otago.

Yet he became far better known for the successful physiotherapy practice he built up in Dunedin.

He was chosen to represent New Zealand in the decathlon at the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and finished 7th with a total of 6548 points. He struggled in the high jump, javelin and 1500m, but shone in the pole vault and the 110m hurdles.

Gaining selection for the decathlon event at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games was no easy matter. Main went to Napier for the decathlon national champs in December 1973, a month before the Games.

It was a strong decathlon lineup. Mene Mene won the title again, Main was 2nd and Roger Wood was 3rd, which meant former champions Roy Williams and Paul Lothian missed out.

In Christchurch, Main was again 7th, with an improved score of 6799 points. He competed well throughout the two days until the final event, the 1500m. His time, 5min 21.7s, was the slowest of the field by a considerable margin and cost him a really good total. His 110m hurdles, 400m and long jump were very good.

Besides his decathlon feats, Main was a particularly good sprint hurdler. The Ariki club man even set the New Zealand record of 15.02s in Wellington in March 1973, and represented New Zealand in this event in the Pan Pacific Games.

Main graduated from Otago University in 1975 with a Diploma of Physical Education. He went on to further his studies and earn a Diploma of Physiotherapy in 1978. Later he gained Diplomas in Manipulative Therapy, Acupuncture and Movement Systems Balance.

When Main went into physiotherapy he complemented his knowledge of Chinese acupuncture and cupping with the Western approach to managing injury. He practice, Main Physiotherapy, became extremely well-known in Dunedin.