Cheers for Nehemiah Turn Into Jeers for Foster : Third-Place Finisher Says Winner of 60-Meter Hurdles Brushed Him Aside

Brush-blocked by Greg Foster when the race was over, Renaldo Nehemiah may have thought he should still be wearing a San Francisco 49ers uniform.

“It was blatant,” Nehemiah said, “and I didn’t appreciate it. On my greatest day or in my lowest moment I would never do that.

“I’m dismayed, I’m offended. I’ve been away for 4 1/2 years, and Greg Foster has been on top. He has no reason to have reacted rudely like that.

“With the success he’s had, he should be a gracious winner”

The rivalry lives, reborn Friday night in the Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena, where Foster annihilated Nehemiah and a quality field in the 60-meter high hurdles, setting an indoor world record of 7.36 seconds.

Nehemiah, in his first indoor race since Feb. 12, 1982, and only his second race since ending his four-year career as a wide receiver with the 49ers, finished a badly beaten third in 7.59.

These two, Nehemiah and Foster, ruled the high hurdles before Nehemiah accepted the 49ers’ offer of a four-year contract at $625,000, or what 49er Coach Bill Walsh described as a “pay cut” from his “amateur” track earnings.

The hurdles rivalry had been one of both sticks and verbal stones.

The psychological ploys seemed as entertaining as the races, which Nehemiah usually won, building a 28-5 advantage over Foster before turning to his new career.

Even with the 49ers, Nehemiah couldn’t resist some needles. In 1985, on injured reserve and thinking of a return to the track, he said that his competition hadn’t improved that much. And he recently chided Foster and others for a lack of technical knowledge because they aren’t the student of the event that he is.

Friday night, still the world record-holder in the 110-meter high hurdles, the only man to run faster than 13 seconds (12.93) in that event, the popular Nehemiah returned to a prerace ovation from a crowd of 13,261.

The cheers for Nehemiah turned to jeers for Foster when it was over.

The unhappy response came as Foster trotted back toward the starting line, pumping his right fist exultantly and finally lifting both arms over his head.

Nehemiah attempted to interrupt the victory march and offer congratulations. He was shouldered aside by Foster, who then heard the boos of the crowd.

“I didn’t push anybody away,” Foster said later. “I was caught up in the victory and don’t remember seeing him.

“If I did what people say I did, I apologize, and I just said that on TV.”

Informed of Foster’s apology, Nehemiah said:

“If he didn’t see me, how come he put his shoulder into me. I’m 6-1. It’s hard to miss me. Maybe he thought I was intruding on his victory. I felt the same way that the people who jeered him felt. I didn’t appreciate it, but since he said he didn’t know it was me, I’ll accept his apology and assume he means it. If it happens again, we’ll all know differently.

“Either way, I’m not going to lose sleep.”

Neither, Nehemiah said, would he lose sleep over a race in which all five runners thought they had false-started and each, except Foster, eased up some over the first hurdle, waiting for the recall gun.

Nehemiah’s only previous race since leaving the 49ers had been Aug. 6 in Italy when he ran a respectable 13.48 in the 110-meter high hurdles and strained an Achilles’ tendon in the process.

“I had a respectable finish against a tremendous field. There’s no question I’m back,” Nehemiah said of Friday’s race.

“Speedwise I was there, but I had several years of rust. I had a lot of energy, but I couldn’t control it. Every hurdle was like a new experience. What with the uncertainty over the start, I lacked some aggressiveness. I had so much ground to make up that I kind of gave up midway through it.”

Nehemiah said he had been excited at the thought of his return and was warmed by the crowd’s response. He said it proved to him how much of the color and excitement had gone out of the hurdles since he had been away. He also said that his return seemed to ignite and motivate Foster, who had to be doing some “incredible training” to run such a fast and dominant race this early.

Of the world record, Nehemiah described it as somewhat “soft” since 60 meters is a distance not often run and seems specifically designed for a record bid by a quality field. He added that it was absurd not to have a backup starter and the most sophisticated equipment. But all of that, he insisted, took nothing away from Foster.

“He ran an incredible race,” Nehemiah said. “It was his night, but it’s only Jan. 16. In my heart, I know he won’t continue to run away from me. He may beat me, but he won’t run away from me.

“My strength, speed and weight are all good, so it’s only a matter of repetition, technique. I have to take it a day at a time, a meet at a time. As long as I’m making progress, I have reason to continue.

“I wanted to win tonight, I can’t say that I didn’t, but the only thing this proved tonight was that the fans are going to have to wait one more week to see how quickly I can get back in form.”

Foster tended to agree.

“I’m happy with the win, happy with the world record and happy that Nehemiah is back,” he said.

“I feel we’re both great hurdlers and that I can’t put much emphasis on this win because he needs time to get ready.

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks, this was just another race to me. It wasn’t the Olympics. It wasn’t the world championships. I’ve already suffered the greatest loss I could suffer (in the 1984 Olympics), so if I had lost, it wouldn’t have meant that much. The Sunkist is a fine meet, but there are others like it.”

Just another race? It didn’t appear that way when Greg Foster was pumping his fist and Renaldo Nehemiah offered congratulations.