Track Roundup : Coghlan Finishes Fast to Win Fourth Straight Mile

Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan used a strong finishing kick to win his fourth consecutive mile of the indoor season, and Lee McRae beat Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in the 55-meter dash Saturday night in the U.S. Olympic Invitational track and field meet at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J..

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, world record-holder in the women’s pentathlon, scored a rare double, winning the women’s high hurdles and long jump.

Coghlan, the world indoor record-holder at 3 minutes 49.78 seconds, was clocked in 3:56.83 as he outkicked fellow Irishman Marcus O’Sullivan. The race was slow because the designated rabbit, Charles Cheruiyot of Kenya, failed to adhere to the planned pace. His fractions were 62.0, 2:01.6 and 3:00.5.

McRae, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, got off to a great start and held off his two more heralded opponents in 6.04 seconds, the fastest in the world this year. Johnson was timed in 6.05 and Lewis in 6.09.

Joyner-Kersee led all the way in winning the women’s 55-meter hurdles in 7.45. That broke the meet record of 7.46 set by Stephanie Hightower in 1984. She won the long jump at 21 feet 10 inches, breaking the meet record of 21-8 3/4 set by Vali Ionescu of Romania and Carol Lewis in 1985.

Earl Bell, the only American to clear 19 feet in the pole vault this year, won his specialty at 19-0, beating defending champion Billy Olson.

Olson, troubled by a bad sinus condition this season, finished second at 18-8, his best of the year.

Igor Lotorev of the Soviet Union set a world indoor record for the 1,000 meters, clocking 2 minutes 18 seconds at the Soviet Winter Cup track and field meet at Moscow. The previous mark of 2:18.58 was set by Sebastian Coe of Britain in Oslo on March 19, 1983.

Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria set a world indoor record of 7.74 in the women’s 60-meter hurdles in the Bulgarian indoor championships at Sofia. The record of 7.75 was set by Bettina Jahn of East Germany on March 5, 1983.