Brenner Becomes a Lean and Mean Shotputter

Lean is in and fat is out, as far as John Brenner is concerned.

Brenner, who set an American shotput record of 73 feet 1/2 inch Saturday at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, says he’s more effective now that he’s at a trim 280 pounds.

Now some people would still regard Brenner as a hulk--and he is. But he’s a leaner hulk.

Brenner got the notion that he should lose about 20 pounds when he was competing in Europe last summer against three of the world’s best shotputters--East Germany’s Ulf Timmermann and Udo Beyer and Switzerland’s Werner Gunthor.

“The only one that wasn’t lean was Beyer (6-4, 298). He looks like a gigantic Big Boy. He’s a huge man,” Brenner said Monday at a track luncheon. “Everyone else is very lean and athletic. They’re not the old-fashioned shotputters any more.

“I was putting food away night after night, and they were eating salad with no dressing. So I saw that something was there.”

Brenner said he was at his best when he was leaner in 1984. That was the year that he established his personal best of 71-11, which he exceeded Saturday with a remarkable series. He averaged 72-4 1/2 on five throws.

Brenner, who set a collegiate record when he competed for UCLA, said that he’s just trying to close the gap with Europe’s Big Three.

Beyer is the world record-holder at 74-3 1/2; Timmermann was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1986 with a best of 74-1 3/4, and Gunthor is the world indoor record-holder at 73-0 1/2.

Brenner is particularly impressed by Gunthor, a lean 6-6 3/4 and 273 pounds.

“He reminds me of the Russian boxer in Rocky IV,” Brenner said. “He told me that he’s going to throw 23 meters (75-5 1/2), and I don’t doubt that he can do it.”

Brenner said that if you can’t throw 22 meters (72-2) in Europe, the kids won’t even ask you for your autograph. He was shunned last summer, but now he has more imposing credentials.

Brenner had another incentive to move into the elite group of shotputters. While in Europe, Brian Oldfield, the former American record-holder at 72-9 3/4, didn’t include Brenner when he said that only he and Randy Barnes (Texas A&M;) had the potential to tear up the American record this season.

“That bothered me,” Brenner said. “He didn’t even look at me when he said it. It was as if I was just another American walk-on shotputter--which I was.”

Art Venegas, Brenner’s weight coach, predicted that his pupil would break the American record Saturday at UCLA. And Venegas says that Brenner will even throw farther.

“He had more confidence in me that I do,” said Brenner, who will compete Sunday in the Puma-Mt. San Antonio Relays at Walnut. “I want to see if I’m really a 22-meter plus thrower. I had a great day at UCLA, and I want to see where I’m at in the Mt. SAC meet.”

In any event, less of a gap in the waistline is closing the gap for Brenner.

Evelyn Ashford, the women’s world record-holder in the 100 meters at 10.76 seconds, will compete in the 400 at the Mt. SAC Relays.

She doesn’t like that race, but she’s running it for training purposes.

“I’m running the quarter because later in the season I have a lot of fast people to run against, and I’ve got make sure that my lungs are good and that I’m really in good shape.”

Ashford, 30, is still the world’s best woman sprinter. She was ranked No. 1 last year with a world-leading time of 10.88.

A mother now, Ashford said she feels even stronger than she did five years ago.

“I don’t think age will be a factor for me,” she said, adding, though, that she is not as focused on track as she once was. “I love what I do and it gives me an opportunity to make a living and use my talent.

“I believe in being the best you can be, and I will always strive for that. But I have other interests--my family to take care of and to cross over to other things as well.”

Ashford, the 1984 Olympic 100-meter gold medalist, said she planned to retire after the 1989 season, but has changed her mind.

“This year I’ve been thinking, ‘Why should I quit.’ I love running too much. I don’t see the end in sight. I might move up to the quarter--even though I hate it.”

Track Notes

The Mt. San Antonio Relays starts Thursday with competition in the decathlon and heptathlon. High school competition will be held Friday and Saturday, along with a distance carnival on Saturday. The invitational portion of the meet is scheduled Sunday.