Brenner Wins With Final Toss

The heavyweights of track and field, the shotputters, landed the big punches from a performance standpoint Sunday afternoon at the 28th annual Mt. San Antonio Relays at Walnut.

John Brenner, the former UCLA star, won a stirring competition from Texas A&M; freshman Randy Barnes, a newcomer on the world scene, who figures to be a factor for years to come.

It isn’t often that Carl Lewis has to share center stage with any other performers. But Lewis had an average day by his standards, winning the 100 meters in 10.14 seconds and the long jump with a wind-aided leap of 27 feet, 4 inches.

Brenner didn’t win the shotput until his final throw, a 71-5 1/2 effort that pushed him ahead of Barnes’ fine throw of 70-10.

Brenner hadn’t even planned to compete Sunday, but Barnes got his immediate attention when he threw the shot 71-9 1/2 last week in Waco, Tex., a mark that is only 1 1/2 inches short of Brenner’s collegiate record established in 1984.

“Coming into this meet, I thought I was going to be wiped out,” Brenner said. “You put mental barriers on yourself and then someone comes along like Randy and opens things up. You either respond or retire.”

There were six throws more than 70 feet, an auspicious performance for an early season meet.

Barnes had two of them, after opening with 70-10 and Brenner got into the groove, finishing with three 70-foot plus throws. Gregg Tafralis was third at 70-4 1/2.

“I was excited to to do as well as I did,” Barnes said. “I was nervous coming in. I had seen these guys, but I had never met them.”

Other noteworthy performances on a warm day:

--Evelyn Ashford, the world record-holder in the 100 meters at 10.76, was fluid and an easy winner in 11.11.

--Jud Logan of the New York Athletic Club broke his American hammer throw record twice with throws of 263-4 and 265-4.

--Doug Fraley of Fresno State came ever so close to clearing 19-1 1/2 in the pole vault, settling for a winning jump of 18-11.

Lewis didn’t get a particularly good start in the 100, but he caught the field at 50 meters and won going away.

It took him a little while longer to assert himself in the long jump, but he finally prevailed. It was his 46th straight victory in the event dating back to 1981. UCLA’s Mike Powell was a surprise second at 26-11 3/4, a personal legal best, while Larry Myricks was third at 26-11. Myricks has the distinction of being the last long jumper to beat Lewis.

Lewis has so dominated the long jump that any jump less than 28 feet is considered a ho-hum effort for him.

“I can’t remember the last time I didn’t jump 28 feet (outdoors),” Lewis said.

To jog his memory, it was last September when he jumped 27-2 in a meet at Tokyo. But Lewis is usually in the 28-foot range, with a best of 28-10.

Lewis was satisfied, though, saying that he is just getting his timing down. It was his first long jump competition outdoors this season after competing in the event only once indoors.

Lewis, who won four gold medals in the 1984 Olympics, had an injury-shortened season in 1985. But he believes he is on schedule this year.

“I feel stronger, feel good and I’m getting things in gear,” he said. “I thought I ran an excellent race in the 100 and I felt relaxed the last 20 meters. As for the long jump, if you’re two degrees higher, or lower on the board it can make a difference of a foot.”

Lewis is in pursuit of Bob Beamon’s world record of 29-2 1/2 set in 1968.

“I’m not totally motivated to go after records,” he said. “I’m motivated to compete. I’ve always been a big meet performer, and the big meets are coming up. I’m moving along.”

Ashford, who didn’t compete last season after giving birth to a daughter, said she was hoping for a tail wind to get her legs moving. There was no wind when she ran, though.

“It was my first big one (race). I was hoping to dip under 11 seconds,” she said. “I want all the wind I can to help my legs.”

Ashford was expected to compete against Valerie Brisco-Hooks, a triple gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics, and her World Class club teammate Florence Griffith. But they didn’t show. Neither did hurdlers Greg Foster and Andre Phillips, who also represent World Class.

“I was surprised they weren’t here,” Ashford said. “I was mentally ready to run against them.”

The hammer throw is an event that has long been dominated by Eastern Europeans. But the 26-year-old Logan is moving up on the world-class ladder. He is 11th on the all-time list.

He has broken the American record nine times in the last three years and came into the meet with a best throw of 256-3.

Asked about his world class status, Logan said: “As far as I was concerned, I was always close and I want to keep improving.”

Logan said he trained with Soviet athletes last year and felt he was competitive with them. “I was right there, and they said that there were just a few technical things I had to work on,” he said.

Logan beat the 1984 Olympic gold medalist, Finland’s Juha Tiainen, who was second at 254-7.

Yuriy Syedikh of the Soviet Union is the world record-holder at 283-3.

Track Notes Pam Marshall of the Mazda Track Club was impressive in winning the women’s 200-meters in 22.28 seconds, equaling the fifth-best American performance. . . . Tyke Peacock won the high jump at 7-4, and Sam Turner was the 110-meter high hurdles winner in 13.53 in the absence of Greg Foster. . . . USC pole vaulter Steve Klassen was shaken up when he fell awkwardly between the pit and a standard while vaulting. Doug Lytle was second to Doug Fraley with a vault of 18-8, a mark equaled by Felix Bohni in third place. . . . Harvey Glance was second in the 100 in 10.32, just ahead of USC’s Pancho Morales (10.34). . . . Carl Lewis had only two jumps past 27 feet, 27-2 and 27-4.