Cruz Refuses to Run Against Coe, Is Barred From Upcoming Races

Joaquim Cruz, Brazil’s Olympic 800-meter gold medal winner, was banned Friday night from his next two track meets in Europe after pulling out of a scheduled showdown with Britain’s Sebastian Coe, the world record-holder.

Cruz and Coe, who won the silver medal last summer at Los Angeles, were expected to race here Friday night for the first time since the Olympics.

Cruz withdrew at the last minute, sending the program into confusion and disappointing a capacity crowd of 16,500 at Crystal Palace stadium.

Afterward, Andy Norman, promotions officer for British athletics, conferred with Sven Hansen, organizer of the Bislett Games at Oslo, July 27. They agreed to bar Cruz and the rest of the Brazilian team from the Edinburgh Games Tuesday, and the Oslo meet five days later.

Norman said that Cruz had refused to run because he was annoyed that Coe had switched from the 1,500 meters to the 800.

“Cruz said he was not mentally prepared for a sudden change in opposition, yet said he was quite happy to run in tomorrow’s 1,000 meters instead,” Norman said.

“I told his coach, Luiz de Oliveira, that he would not be allowed to change, and that as he refused to go through with his commitment, he and the whole Brazilian party would not be allowed to compete in the Edinburgh Games on Tuesday, or in the Oslo meeting next Saturday.”

Said Cruz, who had finished seventh in a 1,500-meter race at Nice Tuesday: “I was neither mentally or physically prepared to run against Coe. I wanted more notice.”

Coe’s switch followed a request by Steve Cram, who broke the world record in the 1,500 at Nice, to skip the 1,500 meters here and run instead in Saturday’s mile.

Once Cram’s request was granted, Coe lost his top opposition and asked to move to the 800.

In the absence of Cruz, Coe won the 800 easily, turning on a finishing kick for a time of 1 minute 44.34 seconds.