European Track Championships : Christie and Gohr Surge to Win 100-Meter Events

Linford Christie became Britain’s first European 100-meter dash champion in 40 years, and East German Marlies Gohr won the women’s 100 meters for the third successive time in the European Track and Field Championships Wednesday night.

Christie recovered from a poor start to win the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.15 seconds, a meet record. Second was Steffen Bringmann of East Germany in 10.20, with Bruno Marie-Rose of France third in 10.21.

Gohr also overcame a shaky start to equal the best time in the world this year by a women--10.91. She false-started, then started slowly but got into her short-stepping rhythm and beat Bulgaria’s Anelia Nuneva, who was timed in 11.04. The Netherlands’ Nellie Cooman, Europe’s indoor champion, was third in 11.08.

East German world record-holder Heike Drechsler won the women’s long jump with a leap of 23 feet 10 inches; Klaus Tafelmeier of West Germany won his country’s first gold medal, in the men’s javelin, with a European-best throw of 278-1, and Jozef Pribilinec of Czechoslovakia won the men’s 20-kilometer walk by two seconds over Italy’s 1980 Olympic champion, Maurizio Damilano.

Before Wednesday’s competition was over, Britain’s Daley Thompson regained the lead in the decathlon after dropping to third with a disastrous high jump. Thompson stormed back to win the 400-meter run, the last event of the first day, in 47.02 seconds, his second-best time ever.

Earlier Wednesday, he won the 100 meters in 10.26 seconds, the fastest time ever run in a decathlon.

Thompson’s long-time rival, Jurgen Hingsen of West Germany, who has lost all seven of his meetings with Thompson since 1977, led the standings after four events. Hingsen ran the 400 meters in 48.79, leaving Thompson as the overnight leader by 28 points with a total of 4,617.

Pribilinec, who took the silver medal in the 1982 European Championships, was timed in 1:21.15 in the men’s 20-kilometer walk. In an exciting last lap around the Neckar Stadium, he edged Damilano, who finished just a few strides behind.

Miguel Prieto of Spain took the bronze in 1:21.36. Defending champion Jose Marin of Spain was one of six walkers disqualified.

In the men’s javelin, world champion Detlef Michel of East Germany took the silver at 268-8, and Viktor Yevsyukov of the Soviet Union was third at 268-4.

In the women’s long jump, Galina Bhistiakova of the Soviet Union was second at 23-3, and Helga Radtke of East Germany took the bronze at 22-7.

Britain’s 800-meter runners, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe, qualified for a much-anticipated showdown in today’s final. The two are also competing in the 1,500 meters later this week.