Coghlan, Scott to Compete in San Diego Meet

The mile matchup between Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland and Steve Scott of San Diego and the appearance of some of the gold-medal winners from last summer’s Olympics highlight the Michelob Invitational indoor track meet next Friday night at the San Diego Sports Arena.

The high school events start at 5:15, with the Invitational events beginning at 7.

The Olympic gold medalists from Romania, Maricica Puica, Doina Melinte and Aniusoara Cusmir-Stanciu, will compete in the meet. Puica won the Olympic 3,000-meter race, the one in which Mary Decker fell down after dangling with Zola Budd.

Puica will square off with Ruth Wysocki in the mile.

In the men’s mile, Coghlan is matched against Scott, Pierre Deleze of Switzerland, Sydney Maree and Tom Smith. Coghlan holds the world record for a mile indoors at 3:49.78.

Coghlan has twice set indoor records (3:52.6) and (3:50.6) on the super-fast San Diego Sports Arena boards. Scott has an outdoors best of 3:47.69. Deleze and Maree are both sub-3:50 milers.

Valerie Brisco-Hooks, winner of three gold medals at the Los Angeles Games, will go after the indoor 440-yard record. At the Olympics, she won the 200 and 400 and won the 1,600-meter relay team.

The two-mile field boasts Olympic champion Julius Korir of Kenya, American record holder Doug Padilla and Great Britain’s Jack Buckner.

Hurdler Greg Foster is among the other top competitors entered in the meet.

Tickets prices are $7.50, $12 and $15.