Bronchial Ailment Forces Ovett to Withdraw From Forum Meet

Britain’s Steve Ovett, a former world record-holder and Olympic champion, has withdrawn from the mile field of The Times/GTE Indoor Games next Friday night at the Forum.

Kim McDonald, Ovett’s manager, said that the 31-year-old middle-distance runner is suffering from a bronchial ailment and is returning home to England.

“Steve said that he’s not running the way he expected to run in the United States and regrets that he can’t compete,” McDonald said. “He said he is looking forward to running in Los Angeles in the future.”

Ovett made only one appearance on the indoor circuit this season. He finished last in the mile with a time of 4:14.52 Jan. 30 at the Millrose Games in New York.

He then went to Orlando, Fla., to train, but his condition didn’t improve. He first withdrew from tonight’s U.S. Olympic Invitational meet at East Rutherford, N.J., and then scratched from the Times meet.

Ovett, who won the 800 meters at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, was bothered by a respiratory ailment while competing in the 1984 Olympic Games at the Coliseum. He qualified for the 800 final but didn’t finish.