Brenner Puts Shot 73-10 3/4 : Lewis Goes Over 28 Feet 6 Times

John Brenner didn’t throw in practice the past week because his left knee was bothering him. He had difficulty sleeping Saturday night because his right wrist was throbbing.

The former UCLA shotputter is also bothered by sore ribs. So Brenner obviously wasn’t ready for any sort of a record performance.

Wrong.

Brenner is on a roll. He broke his own American record that he set April 18 at UCLA with a tremendous throw of 73 feet 10 3/4 inches Sunday afternoon at the Puma-Mt. San Antonio Relays in Walnut. The old mark was 73-0 1/2.

As for Carl Lewis, he did everything short of a record with a remarkable long jump series. He had six jumps past 28 feet, an unprecedented accomplishment.

His best legal jump was 28-5, which he made on both his fifth and sixth attempts. He also had a wind-aided leap of 28-9.

It was incidental that Lewis extended his meet winning streak to 49 since 1981 because he so thoroughly dominates his event.

Only Bob Beamon’s world record of 29-2 1/2 set at high altitude in the 1968 Olympic Games at Mexico City has eluded him. But based on his showing Sunday on a clear, warm day and considering that it was his first long jump competition since last June, there is reason to believe that Lewis will seriously challenge, if not break the record.

“I took a couple of years off,” said Lewis, referring to injuries he incurred in 1985 and 1986. “But I’m not dead, or out of it and I hope to jump farther. I feel better than ever.”

Lewis lost his No. 1 ranking in the long jump and 100 meters last year and someone asked him if he felt he had to make a statement at the Mt. SAC meet.

“I don’t have to make a statement,” he said. “Things are coming together and I feel confident. I’m not too old (only 25) to be a better athlete.”

Lewis’ best legal jump is 28-10, which he did at the TAC meet in Indianapolis in 1983. He had four jumps over 28 feet in that meet.

Of his six jumps Sunday, three were legal. Even Beamon never leaped 28 feet, going from the 27-foot range to his world record 29-2 1/2 19 years ago.

Lewis said he didn’t have the emotional drive the past two years that he had when he won four gold medals in the 1984 Olympic Games at the Coliseum.

He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last September and said that the knee hasn’t restricted him in his training.

That was obvious Sunday.

Brenner’s throw was the fourth longest of all time, excluding Brian Oldfield’s mark of 75 feet established as a pro in 1975. Moreover, Brenner shattered his own American record by 10 inches.

“I’m surprised as heck,” said Brenner after his record performance. “I didn’t even throw in practice last week.”

He took only four of his alloted six throws with his record-breaking toss coming on his last throw. His other throws were more than respectable--71-2, 72-5 and 71-0 1/2. That’s an average of 72-1 1/2. He averaged 72-4 1/2 on five throws at UCLA.

Brenner said that he has a slight tear in the tendon of of his left knee and didn’t want to risk serious injury by continuing to throw.

His big throw landed about an inch and half short of the grass area bordering the shot put ring. And the grass provided a target for the 6-foot, 3-inch, 285-pound athlete.

“It’s nice to look at something while throwing,” Brenner said.

Brenner said he felt tightness in his hips and tension in his midsection and ribs on his record throw. He said that was a sign to him that he had surpassed his American record.

Only East Germany’s Udo Beyer and Ulf Timmermann have thrown farther than Brenner. Beyer is the world record-holder at 74-3 1/2.

Brenner has said that he is trying to close the gap between himself and the Europeans, Beyer, Timmermann and Switzerland’s Werner Gunthor.

Asked if the Europeans will be impressed by his record throws a week apart, Brenner said: “I don’t think so. Udo might take it seriously, but the Europeans wouldn’t be impressed until I beat them head to head.”

In assessing the Europeans, Brenner said that Beyer is built like a gigantic Big Boy, about 330 pounds, and that Timmermann has good technique, but doubts that he’ll make significant improvement.

Beyer is more impressed by Gunthor, 25, a young giant at 6-6 3/4 and 273 pounds.

“Gunthor is like a robot” Brenner said. “He said he would break the world indoor record and he did (73-0 1/2). He also said he would throw 23 meters (75-5) outdoors and I don’t doubt that he will do it.

“He is very flexible and he has room to grow both in technique and strength. I wish I did.”

Art Venegas, Brenner’s coach, then interjected that Brenner, 26, can also grow as an athlete.

Brenner said he plans to compete in the Pepsi Invitational May 16 at UCLA and then return to training before the TAC meet June 25-27 in San Jose.

Asked if he would like to compete against Gunthor May 16, Brenner said, “It would be nice to have him come over here.”

Al Franken, the Pepsi meet promoter, didn’t miss the cue.

“Great,” Franken said, “I’ll call him (Gunthor) tomorrow.”

Brenner’s previous best throw until this month was 71-11 as a UCLA senior in 1984. It came in the NCAA meet during head-to-head competition with Michael Carter and set a collegiate record.

Brenner is obviously pleased with his rapid progression, but he said he is not as interested in distance now as performing at a high level in the TAC meet and the World Championships in Rome Sept. 29-Aug. 6.

That’s when he’ll most likely encounter his European friends, including Gunthor, whom he describes as an athlete much like the Soviet boxer in Rocky IV.

Other significant performances Sunday:

--UCLA’s 1,600-meter relay team beat some fast all-star teams in the school record time of 3:0l.09.

Henry Thomas provided the boost for the Bruins. He took the baton on the third leg about 12 meters behind Andre Phillips and then provided anchorman Danny Everett with a seven-meter lead. Thomas was timed in a sizzling 43.6 seconds.

--Jake Jacoby won the high jump at 7-7 and had one good try at an American record height of 7-8 3/4.

--Carl Witherspoon, a former Abilene Christian sprinter, who trains with Lewis, won the 100 meters in 10.13 seconds, the best time in the world this year.

--Everett won the open 400 in 45.45, while Gail Devers, another Bruin, won the women’s 200 in a wind-aided 22.55.

--Jack Pierce upset Olympic champion Roger Kingdom in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.59. Kingdom was third in 13.74.

Track Notes

Carl Lewis was asked if he is looking forward to meeting Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who beat Lewis three times in 1986 and was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100 meters. “I think he would be looking forward to meeting me ,” Lewis said. . . . Lewis said earlier that he was solving some technical problems that would allow him to jump farther. “My run is better and I have better control of my speed now,” he said. Lewis has just completed an album, yet unnamed. He has already relased a single in Europe titled “Break it Up.” He said he didn’t want to release it in the United States because of the time demand on promotional appearances. . . . Lewis said he had treated the long jump like a “second-class citizen” in the past while sprinting and running on some relay teams. Now when he’s long jumping, he won’t compete in other events unless it’s a championship meet. . . . Lewis said he will sprint next weekend in a meet in Miami. . . . On Lewis’ last legal 28-5 jump, he jumped into a head wind. . . . Art Venegas, John Brenner’s coach, said he first saw Brenner as a prep performer at Mt. SAC in 1979. “I told him at the time that he could break the world record,” Venegas said. “He was wondering about a short Mexican guy bugging him.” . . . Coleen Sommer set a meet record of 6-3 1/2 in the high jump. Ramona Pagel was a double winner--61-3 in the shotput and 199-11 in the discus. Art Burns won the men’s discus at 219-6.