THE SEOUL GAMES / DAY 8 : Track Roundup : Joyner Breaks Olympic Record Twice in Heats

Florence Griffith Joyner, the world record-holder who is setting her sights on a gold medal, set Olympic records in each of the first two rounds of the women’s 100 meters Saturday.

She ran 10.88 seconds in first heat, shattering the Olympic record of 10.97, set in 1984 by gold medalist Evelyn Ashford.

Ashford, the U.S. flag bearer in last week’s opening ceremony, also won her first-round heat, in 11.10.

Gwen Torrence, the third American in the women’s 100, also was a heat winner, clocking 11.12.

The next-best time for the first heat was from Aneila Vetchernikova of Bulgaria, who had a 11.09.

In the second round, it was Ashford’s turn. Running in the second heat, Ashford, the former world record-holder, ran a 10.88, to tie the Olympic record. Then, in the next heat, Joyner sped to a 10.62.

Joyner set the world record of 10.49 in July and is favored to win gold in a field that includes Ashford, and East Germans Heike Drechsler, Silke Gladisch and Marlies Goehr.

Although Griffith Joyner was forbidden by Olympic rules to wear the flashy, one-legged outfits she sported during the U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, she was resplendent in the red-and-white hooded track suits worn by some members of the U.S. team.

In the triple jump final, world record holder Willie Banks had a disappointing day. He fouled his first and last jumps and finished in sixth place with a jump of 55 feet 10 inches, far off his world record of 58-11 1/2.

Charlie Simpkins, who had trouble with fouls, was fifth in 56-8 3/4.

Khristo Markov of Bulgaria, the world champion, won the event in 57-9 1/2. Soviet jumpers were second, third and fourth. Igor Lapshine won the silver and Aleksandr Kovalenko won the bronze.

Edwin Moses held off a charge by teammate Kevin Young as both advanced to the final in the 400-meter hurdles.

Young, of UCLA, charged off the last hurdle to press Moses, the defending Olympic champion and world record-holder. Moses, of Newport Beach, won the heat in 47.89. Young was second in 48.56.

The other American in the event, Andre Phillips of San Jose, won his heat in 48.19.

In a major upset, Britain’s Steve Cram failed to advance in the men’s 800. Cram was running in a heat with Morocco’s Said Aouita. It was the first time in three years that the two rivals had met.

With the top four to advance, Cram was a fading fifth when he looked to his left. Aouita breezed past him to win in 1:45.24. Cram was sixth in 1:46.47.

In the second round of the women’s 400 meters, all three Americans advanced--Denean Howard-Hill of Sylmar, Valerie Brisco of Long Beach and Diane Dixon.

In the first round of the women’s 800, Kim Gallagher of El Segundo won her heat in 2:01.70. Joetta Clark also advanced to the semifinals with a 2:00.83, qualified.

Tom Petranoff of Oceanside advanced in the javelin qualifying. Petranoff, the U.S. record holder, was ninth in 254-2. The top 12 throwers advance to Sunday’s (Saturday in L.A.) final. Brian Crouser was 13th.

In the first round of the men’s 400 meters, Butch Reynolds had only the 19th-best time among the 32 qualifiers for Sunday’s second round. Reynolds finished third in his heat in 46.28 seconds.

“I just ran an easy race,” said Reynolds, who set the world record with a time of 43.29 seconds last month at Zurich, Switzerland.

However, Reynolds’ two American teammates, Steve Lewis and Danny Everett, ran much quicker in their first appearances in a major championship meet. Lewis, 19, the youngest member of the U.S. men’s team, won his heat in 45.31, the fastest time in the first round. And Everett, his UCLA teammate, took his heat in 45.63, the third-fastest time overall.