Marathon star misses out
HE WAS one of the blue-chip stars of Queensland’s first Commonwealth Games.
But Aussie running legend Robert de Castella figures he will be watching the Gold Coast Games on television in Canberra – uninvited for any official role.
De Castella, the 1982 Brisbane Games marathon champion, said he did not feel he could devote his time to travel to the Games as a spectator as it was a busy time of the year for his Indigenous Marathon Foundation.
“There’s no official capacity or role for me. If there was something significant for me to do, I’d certainly consider being up there,’’ de Castella said.
“I’ll watch the spectacular television coverage from Canberra.
“It’s not a good use of my time to just stay on the sidelines and cheer everyone on, even though I’d love to do it. I have a lot of my plate with (my) foundation now.’’