Track and Field Roundup : Preparing for Johnson, Lewis Has 20.09 in 200

Carl Lewis, demonstrating strong form in preparation for next week’s World Championships, won the 200 meters in 20.09 seconds Friday night at a Grand Prix track and field meet in West Berlin.

Lewis earlier in the day confirmed he would only be competing in the 100 meters and the long jump at Rome, starting next Saturday. He also tried to downplay his battle with Canadian Ben Johnson, his main rival in the 100.

“I’m not afraid of Ben Johnson, and he’s not afraid of me,” Lewis said. “Whoever is the best man in Rome will win, and that will be me. I feel in excellent mental, physical and emotional shape and just want to go out there and run the best race I can.

“We’re not talking about World War III here; we’re talking about a track meet.”

Calvin Smith won the the 100-meter “Jesse Owens Sprint” in 10.12, running into a slight headwind. Stanley Floyd was second in 10.23. The U.S. team is so strong that neither will compete in the 100 at the World Championships.

In the 400-meter relay, Johnson, who did not enter the 100 or 200, thundered around the first bend, but his changeover was illegal with Atlee Mahorn running off his mark too early, and Canada was disqualified.

Lewis got the American baton from Harvey Glance in third place but powered past Rick Jones of Canada and Norbert Dobeleit of West Germany as the team of Lee McRae, Lee McNeill, Glance and Lewis clocked 38.18--the fastest in the world this year.

Edwin Moses, whose winning streak in the 400-meter hurdles began after a loss to West German Harald Schmid in this meet 10 years ago this week, just held off Danny Harris, the man who ended the streak in Madrid, Spain, on June 4, to win in 47.82. Moses said afterward he was suffering with a throat infection. He headed for a meeting with the doctor immediately after the race.

Harry (Butch) Reynolds, who arrived in Europe Thursday after a short break in the United States, won the 400 meters in 44.49.

Kenyan Billy Konchellah scored another impressive victory in the 800 meters. He ran the year’s fastest time--1 minute 43.39 seconds in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday--and clocked 1:44.40 Friday to hold off Abdi Bile Abdi of Somalia.

Greg Foster won the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 13.21 seconds.

In other events, Jose Luiz Gonzales of Spain won the mile over Steve Scott in 3:51.75; Gail Devers won the women’s 100 meters in 10.98 seconds; Olympic champion Valerie Brisco won the women’s 400 in 50.01 seconds, with Diane Dixon and Lillie Leatherwood second and third, respectively; Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova won the women’s high jump, beating Louise Ritter in a jump-off after both women cleared 6-6, and Ingrid Thyssen of West Germany won the women’s javelin with a German national record of 228-7.

In London, the International Amateur Athletic Federation disputed claims that Sabine Busch’s time of 53.24 seconds in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the East German championships in Potsdam was a world record.

The IAAF maintained the 52.94 seconds the Soviet Union’s Marina Stepanova clocked on Sept. 17 remains the official world record.

East German officials had claimed Stepanova’s run was not ratified because there was no drug test undertaken at the meet in the Soviet Union.

But an IAAF spokesperson said Friday night: “Stepanova’s time has been ratified and stands as the world record.”