Foster Is Frosted at UCLA : Kingdom Wins High Hurdles; Lewis Takes 100

Two-time world champion high hurdler Greg Foster said he lost his motivation when he read in the newspaper Sunday morning that world record-holder Renaldo Nehemiah had withdrawn from the Pepsi Invitational at UCLA’s Drake Stadium because of a hamstring injury. Perhaps Foster should have looked in the lane next to him.

He would have seen 1984 Olympic champion Roger Kingdom, who, if he remains healthy, should pose a greater threat to Foster this year than Nehemiah, who has not been the dominant hurdler he once was since returning to track last year from professional football.

Kingdom, running well again after almost three years of his own hamstring problems, already had the two fastest 110-meter high hurdles times in the world this year before the Pepsi meet. He was even faster Sunday, overtaking Foster on the 7th of 10 hurdles and winning in 13.30. Foster finished second in 13.39.

Another 1984 Olympic gold medalist who won Sunday before a crowd of 7,520 was Carl Lewis, who ran 10.13 in his new silver shoes to beat a strong field in the 100 meters. Two Olympic champions who lost were Brazil’s Joaquim Cruz and Valerie Brisco.

Cruz, who won the 800 meters at the Olympics, finished strong in the mile Sunday but could not overtake Steve Scott. Brisco put Denean Howard behind her on the final turn of the 400 meters but could not keep her there and finished second.

For Foster, a former UCLA hurdler, it was only the second time in 10 Pepsi appearances that he has not won. He lost in 1979 to Nehemiah, who set a world record that day of 13.0, later lowered to 12.93.

Nehemiah came to Los Angeles to run this race, but he was injured during a workout Thursday and instead watched from the stands, where he still managed to hold Foster’s attention.

“I didn’t have my concentration,” Foster said. “Not to use it as an excuse, but I only found out this morning that Nehemiah wasn’t going to run. I get motivated to run against him more so than anyone else. I don’t know why. It’s just that way.”

It was Foster’s first competition outdoors this year, his late start due to a bruised foot. Obviously off his form, he hit the last five hurdles after losing the lead to Kingdom midway through the race.

When his time was announced, Foster grimaced.

“I’m really up a creek,” he said. “That’s a heck of a lot slower than I wanted. I didn’t do anything I planned today except show up. There’s no way I should be running that slow.”

Kingdom thought he also could have run faster, but he said he was distracted by Foster’s troubles and hit the last three hurdles himself.

At least he was in the race and not watching on television, which is what he was doing when Foster won at the World Championships last year in Rome.

“It hurts when you’re only 25, and the guys who are winning are 28 or 29,” he said. Foster will turn 30 in August.

Kingdom, who trains in Pittsburgh, said he will not push himself this year out of respect for his tender hamstring.

“A hamstring is like a sensitive girlfriend,” he said. “If you push it, they’re gone. I’m going to baby it.”

While the hurdles was the first track event of the afternoon, the crowd had to wait until the last event for the most exciting finish. Scott went to the lead early in the mile, then held off the charging Cruz down the stretch. Both were hand-timed in 3:53.6.

Cruz, who plans to focus on the 800 at the Olympics but also will run the 1,500 if he is physically able, said he made a tactical error.

“I wanted to surprise those guys, not take the lead,” he said. “Let Steve Scott take the lead. I wanted to make my move the last 200 meters. I think I made a mistake. I waited until the last 100 meters to make my kick. I should have kicked before.”

Neither was it the kind of race Scott planned to run.

“I went out with the pace-setter, figuring I would eventually settle back into the pack,” he said. “But nobody went around me. So I could either stop, let everyone else go around me and then start up again. Or I could race. I decided to race and see what happened.”

Scott decided afterward that he still has some miles left in him. After saying earlier that he would move to the 5,000 for the Olympics if he felt he no longer was competitive in the 1,500, he said Sunday he will continue to concentrate on the shorter distance.

In the shortest distance contested, Lewis had to look at Brian Cooper’s backside for about 65 meters before shifting into overdrive and winning going away. Cooper was second in 10.18, while 1987 national champion Mark Witherspoon was third in 10.29.

The electronic timer initially flashed Lewis’ time as 9.92, which would have been the American record. Since the timer had been quick all day, it was safe to assume that Lewis was not that fast. Still, he thought he was faster than 10.13. He shrugged when he heard the official time.

“It’s still a good race against good competition,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter.”

More disappointed was Ron Brown, the former Ram wide receiver who returned to track this year to prove that he can beat Lewis and world record-holder Ben Johnson. In his first race against Lewis since the comeback, Brown was fourth Sunday in 10.35.

“I’m going to have to work harder than I thought,” he said.

Also needing work is Brisco, who has had difficulty the last two years maintaining her strength in the 400. She and Howard battled until they reached the final straight, where Brisco began to struggle. Howard won in a personal best of 50.42. Brisco was hand-timed in 50.9.

Howard then went to Las Vegas for the main event. Actually, she went for one of the bouts on the undercard of tonight’s fight between Thomas Hearns and Iran Barkley. Her fiance, 1984 Olympic silver-medalist Virgil Hill, will defend his World Boxing Assn. light heavyweight title.

Wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Hill on it, Howard said they will be married in July if she does not make the Olympic team at the U.S. trials earlier that month. If she does make the Olympic team, they will be married after she returns from Seoul in October.

“I’m planning an October wedding,” she said.

Track Notes

Tonie Campbell, expected to challenge Greg Foster and Roger Kingdom in the 110-meter high hurdles, was a no-show. He competed in Europe last week but did not inform promoter Al Franken that he would not return in time for the meet. . . . Mike Tully, who became the Pepsi’s first 19-foot pole vaulter last year, won Sunday with a meet record jump of 19-0 3/4.

Roddie Haley is accustomed to having run a couple of dozen quarter-miles by this time of the year. But in his first year out of the University of Arkansas, he has been taking it easy. It agrees with him. He won the 400 meters in 44.70, upsetting Nigeria’s Innocent Egbunike, who was second in last year’s World Championships. “Normally, I’m flat on my back, gasping for air,” said Haley, who was still standing long after the race. . . . Linda Sheskey had the fastest time in the world this year outdoors in the women’s 1,500 meters, running 4:07.41. Ruth Wysocki, who led most of the race, was second in 4:08.59.