2 World Records Enliven Championships : Kostadinova Clears 6-10 to Improve Her Women’s High Jump Mark

After an inauspicious opening to track and field’s second world championships 24 hours before, the enchantment that was so much a part of the inaugural four years ago in Helsinki, Finland, returned Sunday. Two world records were broken within 10 minutes of each other, which proved to be nothing more than warmup acts for much of the crowd of 64,500 at the Olympic Stadium.

The first world record was done in a remarkably short amount of time as Canadian Ben Johnson ran the 100 meters in 9.83 seconds, beating by a full tenth of a second Calvin Smith’s record of 9.93. That was the time Carl Lewis ran Sunday for second place.

Barely had the crowd’s cheers for Johnson subsided when Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova cleared the bar at 6-10 in the high jump to break her record of 6-9 3/4 and beat the defending champion, Tamara Bykova of the Soviet Union.

For drama, the high jump was every bit the equal of the men’s shot put Saturday, when Switzerland’s Werner Guenthoer beat the crowd favorite, Italy’s Alessandro Andrei.

But the Italians had to wait only one more day for their first gold medal.

Maurizio Damilano, who is from the small town of Scarnafigi in the wine-country of Piemonte, gave it to them, entering the stadium near the end of the 20-kilometer walk to hear the crowd singing and chanting his name.

When his compatriots grew tired of chanting his name, they chanted their country’s name: “Italia, Italia.”

They waved flags, one of which Damilano and the fifth-place finisher, Italy’s Carlo Mattioli, carried above their heads on a victory lap, but only after Damilano had thrown his shoes into the stands. They walked halfway around the track before deciding what the heck and running the final 200 meters.

It was reminiscent of the scene in Helsinki four years ago, when Finland’s Tiina Lillak won the javelin.

On Saturday, it appeared as if nothing might happen here in Rome to remind anyone of Helsinki, perhaps track and field’s finest nine days.

The organizers here sold more tickets than they had seats and sent half of the overflow home without refunds and the other half into the section reserved for athletes.

The women’s marathon winner, Rosa Mota of Portugal, was told she would have to run two laps once she entered the stadium at the end only to discover halfway into the second that she was supposed to run only one. When she finally stopped, she was handed a Portuguese flag when what she really wanted was a drink of water. There was not a drop to drink.

While Mota ran too far, some of the men in the 10,000 meters didn’t run far enough because the official lap counters became confused and switched the numbers on the electronic board too early.

Four countries, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Finland, filed an official protest but not about that. They were aggravated about the organization of the 10,000 meters.

The race Saturday night was supposed to be a heat, but it was changed to the final when the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) technical committee ruled the 29-man field didn’t need to be pared.

More than one U.S. coach here speculated the change was made by the Italian IAAF president, Primo Nebiolo, to accommodate an Italian runner, Francesco Panetta, the 10,000-meter silver medalist who also is entered in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Qualifying for the steeplechase begins Tuesday. The 10,000-meter final originally was scheduled for tonight.

The protest was denied, leaving the United States winless for the weekend.

That certainly is in contrast to Helsinki, where the United States had six medals in the first 48 hours, including a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 100 meters.

The best the United States has done here is Lewis’ second in the 100 meters. John Brenner was third in Saturday’s shot put.

The other American in Sunday’s 100-meters final, Lee McRae, finished seventh in 10.34 as a race once dominated by the United States now is owned by Jamaican natives. Canada’s Jamaican, Johnson, was first, Jamaica’s Jamaican, Raymond Stewart was third, and Great Britain’s Jamaican, Linford Christie, was fourth.

One other American, Tom Petranoff, finished just outside the medals with a fourth place in the javelin, throwing 266-8. Finland’s Seppo Raty was first with a throw of 274-1.

But no other U.S. athletes were in contention, not even high jumper Louise Ritter, who figured to medal or perhaps even win.

She has beaten Kostadinova twice this year, but Ritter was not in either the Bulgarian’s or Bykova’s class Sunday. Ritter was the fifth in a field of 12 to be eliminated, missing three times at 6-5 and then announcing that she is contemplating retirement.

Ritter, however, did say she was pleased for Kostadinova, who has overwhelmed everyone but the track and field officials in her own country. While she began this year having won 44 of her last 45 competitions, the Bulgarians were disappointed because she hadn’t set a world record since May of 1986. Under immense pressure, she lost three times this year.

That almost became four Sunday, when she missed her first two attempts at 6-8, a height Bykova cleared on her first attempt. But Kostadinova went over the bar on her third attempt and made her second attempt at 6-9. Bykova missed twice at 6-9, had the bar raised to 6-9 3/4 and missed again to fall out of the competition.

The bar then was raised to the world-record height of 6-10, which Kostadinova cleared on her second attempt, barely grazing the bar. Now she can go home again.

With the two world records coming only minutes apart, the crowd was poised for a third in the women’s 100 meters. But Evelyn Ashford’s record of 10.76 was safe as East German Silke Gladisch won in 10.90, beating the 11.0 of her better-known teammate, Heike Drechsler. Merlene Ottey, another Jamaican, was third in 11.04. The United States’ Diane Williams was fourth in 11.07, and another American, Pam Marshall, was eighth in 11.19.

Neither Kostadinova nor Gladisch accepted invitations to meet the press after their victories, but they probably wouldn’t have had anything to say as useful as did Damilano.

He credited his victory to his Mediterranean diet of pasta, Parmesan cheese and prosciutto . Considering the lines outside restaurants here, more than a few visitors must be in training.

Track Notes

Willie Banks, the world record-holder in the triple jump, failed to qualify Sunday for today’s final. Banks, 31, said it was the most disappointed he has been since he didn’t win a medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics but that he is not considering retirement. “I know I’ve got two good years left,” he said. Banks has been bothered by shin splints and an Achilles’ tendon injury most of the year, surprising himself that he was even able to qualify for the U.S. team by finishing second in the national championships. “I thought I might have the adrenaline flowing again, but it just didn’t happen,” he said. Charlie Simpkins also failed to qualify, leaving Mike Conley as the only American in the final.

U.S. Coach Mel Rosen informed sprinter Mark Witherspoon he wouldn’t be on the 400-meter relay team. As the national champion in the 100 meters, he was supposed to be on the team. But he injured his leg at the Pan American Games and, even though he ran here Saturday, he didn’t advance past the first round in the 100. Rosen said Lee McNeil, who finished sixth at the nationals, will replace Witherspoon on the relay. “That’s my spot,” Witherspoon said. “I earned it.”

Diane Dixon and Lillie Leatherwood-Kinf qualified for today’s 400-meter final, but Denean Howard didn’t. No Americans are in the women’s 800-meter final today. The only American to advance as far as today’s semifinals in the men’s 800 meters is David Mack. The U.S. record-holder, Johnny Gray, was spiked on the first lap and finished eighth in his heat. Both Americans in the women’s discus, Connie Price and Carol Cady, also failed to advance past the qualifications. . . . Edwin Moses and Danny Harris won their first-round heats in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Butch Reynolds also won his first-round heat in the open 400 meters.

The mystery of the missing 10,000-meter runner Saturday night was solved when American Gerard Donakowski revealed he became ill in the tunnel leading from the warmup area to the track and withdrew. His coach had seen him only moments before on the warm-up track and became alarmed when Donakowski wasn’t at the starting line. Donakowski’s brother, Bill, qualified for the U.S. team in the marathon but dropped out because he didn’t like the course.