‘86 Indoor Track Circuit Begins at Sports Arena

The Sunkist Invitational, the oldest indoor track meet on the West Coast and second oldest in the nation, features a select cast of track performers for its 27th edition next Friday night at the Sports Arena.

Several events highlight the first major meet of the 1986 indoor circuit.

The pole vault tops them with an unprecedented six 19-foot vaulters, which makes the competition the strongest ever for an indoor meet. Competing will be Billy Olson, who recently set a new indoor world record at 19-2 3/4; the last two Olympic champions of the event, Pierre Quinon of France, winner in 1984 in Los Angeles, and the Poland’s Wladislaw Kozakiewicz, now living in West Germany, the 1980 champ in Moscow.

Joe Dial, the American outdoor record holder, Earl Bell and Marian Kolasa, the new sensation from Poland, complete the club of 19-footers competing.

The Sunkist mile will bring together Eamonn Coghlan, of Ireland, the only man to run an indoor sub 3:50 mile (3:49.78), Steve Scott, the American mile record holder both indoors and outdoors, and Sydney Maree, who last summer set new American marks for 1500 and 5000 meters.

Overall Mobil Grand Prix winner Doug Padilla heads a strong 2-mile field which include the famous West German Dr. Thomas Wessinghage, and Jack Buckner of England.

The legendary Wonder Women of Czechoslovakia, Jarmila Kratochvilova, will start her 20th, and most likely the last, season of her glorious career by running the 880.

The men’s similar distance features three sub 1:44 runners: Johnny Gray, the American 800 meters record holder and the world indoor record holder for 880 yards; Earl Jones, the Olympic bronze medalist in the Los Angeles Olympics, and Billy Konchellah, the last world class Kenyan product.

The triple jump will feature the Nos. 3 and 4 on the all-time list, Mike Conley, the best combination long jump/triple jump ever, and Charlie Simpkins.

World champion and Olympic silver medalist Greg Foster leads a strong field for the 50/60 yard hurdles, which also includes Canadian Mark McKoy, 4th in the Olympic Games; Tony Campbell, winner of the World Cup and Mobil Grand Prix finals; and Andre Phillips, the best 110/400 hurdler in history.

The best 400 runner in 1985, Michael Franks, leads the entries in the 500 yards, where two local former prep standouts, Henry Thomas and Danny Everett will run their first Invitational.

Triple Olympic gold medalist Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Olympic medalists Florence Griffith, Alice Brown and Merlene Ottey-Page are only a few of the stars who will compete in other women events.