Reynolds Shatters 400 Record; Lewis Defeats Johnson : Calvin Smith Runs Second, Bumping Canadian to Third

For more than two years, Carl Lewis has had difficulty overcoming Ben Johnson’s rocket-fast starts in 100-meter races.

Johnson’s coup de grace came when he set a world record of 9.83 seconds in beating Lewis for the fifth straight time last August in the World Championships at Rome.

And before the world’s two fastest sprinters met Wednesday night in a Grand Prix track and field meet, Johnson said: “I don’t think he can beat me again. I’ve proved it so many times already.”

But Lewis, who won four gold medals in the 1984 Olympics, chased down Johnson at Letzigrund Stadium for a stunning victory that equaled his previous best of 9.93 set at the 1987 World Championships.

Johnson, a Canadian sprinting star who had not lost to Lewis since 1985, led for most of the race but faded to finish third in 10.00. Calvin Smith was second in 9.97.

Johnson, 26, had a false start in the race, in which each Johnson and Lewis reportedly earned $250,000, making it the richest event in track and field history.

After a clean start, Johnson took a quick lead. Lewis, who has defeated Johnson in 11 of 19 races, was a meter behind, but he pulled even with 10 meters left. He raised his arms with 2 meters to go, realizing he had won.

“There’s no way that anybody could accelerate with Ben, because of the way he runs,” Lewis told the Washigton Post. “But as long as I can move and not let him get away from me, try to keep him close, then I feel that I can catch him. That’s what happened.

“Everybody emphasizes the start, the start, the start. I realize, it’s not all the start.”

Lewis, 27, who trains in Houston, is the defending Olympic 100-meter champion.

The victory “means a lot, because it keeps my confidence level going . . . All I have to do is carry this momentum into the (Olympic) Games, and I’ll have a great Games,” Lewis said.

Johnson, visibly dejected, blamed his loss on his lack of training because of two hamstring injuries suffered earlier this year.

“I came up good out of the blocks, and that’s a very good sign,” Johnson said. “That last 20 meters, I tightened up. But Carl ran a good race.

“I’m not really disappointed. I’ve got five weeks to go (before the Seoul Games), and hopefully I’ll turn things around.”

Lewis’ victory received secondary attention to Butch Reynolds’ world-record run in the 400 meters.

But those were not the only sparkling performances Wednesday night in a meet that previewed a number of 1988 Olympic competitors.

Johnny Gray of the Santa Monica Track Club ran the year’s fastest 800 meters, winning with a time of 1 minute 42.65 seconds, and Paula Ivan of Romania had the year’s fastest women’s 1,500 meters, 3:56.24.

Elly van Hulst of the Netherlands ran the fastest 3,000 meters of the season (8:33.97) in upsetting Mary Decker Slaney (8:34.69). Said Aouita, a multiple world record-holder from Morocco, won the mile in 3:50.22

In a women’s 100 featuring three of the world’s fastest four sprinters, Olympic champion Evelyn Ashford won in 11.03. Florence Griffith-Joyner, the world-record holder, did not compete.

Other strong U.S. performances: Roger Kingdom defeated Renaldo Nehemiah and won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.11, also a season best, and Randy Barnes beat world champion Werner Gunthor of Switzerland in the shot with a put of 73-6 3/4.