European Track and Field Championships : Whitbread Sets Women’s Javelin Record: 254-1

Fatima Whitbread of Britain set a world record in the women’s javelin, and Sebastian Coe won his first major outdoor 800-meter title Thursday in the European Track and Field Championships.

Whitbread, 25, threw the javelin 254 feet 1 inch during qualifying, breaking the mark of 247-4 set last year by East German Petra Felke.

“I felt really fit, cool and confident,” Whitbread said.

Coe, expected to battle Steve Cram, instead edged a third Briton, Tom McKean, in 1:44.50. Cram was third.

“I’ve waited a long time for this medal,” said Coe, a two-time Olympic 1,500-meter champion. “I have battled since 1978--that’s eight years. It’s very special to me.”

Daley Thompson also won a gold medal for Britain, retaining his decathlon title by outlasting Jurgen Hingsen of West Germany.

Thompson amassed 8,811 points, and Hingsen took the silver with 8,730. Siegfried Wentz of West Germany gained the bronze with 8,676.

East Germany’s Marita Koch ran the fastest women’s 400 meters of the year, winning her third consecutive European title in 48.22 seconds.

Olga Bondarenko won the first gold medal for the Soviet Union, taking the women’s 3,000 meters in 8:33.99, another 1986 best mark. She edged Olympic champion Maricica Puica of Romania. Yvonne Murrey of Britain earned the bronze, just ahead of teammate Zola Budd.

There was a major upset in the shotput, Werner Guenthoer of Switzerland beating East Germans Udo Beyer and Ulf Timmermann with a Swiss national-record throw of 72-10 3/4.

Beyer, who last week set a world record of 74-3 1/2, settled for the bronze with his final throw of 68-0 1/2. Timmermann, who held the world mark before Beyer, took the silver at 71-8.

Harald Schmid of West Germany won his third consecutive title in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 48.65.

WOMEN’S JAVELIN ALL-TIME LIST

Mark Name Country Year 254-1 Fatima Whitbread Britain 1986 247-4 Petra Felke East Germany 1985 245-3 Tiina Lillak Finland 1983 243-5 Sofia Sakorafa Greece 1982 241-5 Tessa Sanderson Britain 1983 238-6 Anna Verouli Greece 1984 236-9 Antje Kempe East Germany 1984 235-10 Antoaneta Todorova Bulgaria 1981 235-7 Ivonne Leal Cuba 1985 230-1 Mayra Vila Cuba 1985 230-1 Maria Colon Cuba 1986 229-11 Tatyana Biryulina USSR 1980 229-6 Ruth Fuchs East Germany 1980 229-2 Natalya Kolenchukova USSR 1984 229-0 Sue Howland Australia 1986 228-2 Beate Peters West Germany 1986 227-5 Kate Schmidt United States 1977