TRACK NOTEBOOK : Coghlan Is Caught in the Middle

Eamonn Coghlan, once acknowledged as the Chairman of the Boards, has passed his gavel to countryman Marcus O’Sullivan and Britain’s Peter Elliott.

Elliott, in particular, is the premier indoor miler now, thanks to his impressive victory in the Meadowlands Invitational last Friday in East Rutherford, N.J.

Obliged for the most part to set his own pace, Elliott was shooting for Coghlan’s world indoor record of 3:49.78.

He had to settle, though, for a time of 3:52.02, making him the fifth-fastest runner of all time in the indoor mile, and missed an opportunity for a $100,000 bonus by failing to break Coghlan’s record.

Elliott will compete against a field that includes O’Sullivan, Steve Scott and Joe Falcon Friday night in the Times/Eagle Indoor Games at the Forum.

With Scott, now 33, apparently on the downside of a productive career, the best middle-distance runners are from Great Britain, Ireland, Africa, Morocco and other parts of the globe.

There wasn’t an American 1,500-meter runner ranked in Track & Field News’ top 10 last year.

Asked to assess the comparative dropout on the world scene of American middle-distance runners, Coghlan said:

“I saw a poster of Magic Johnson with a measuring tape alongside of it so little kids can look up to this big basketball player. That’s what’s needed in this country, hero worship.

“You have to have kids who look up to track and field athletes. That’s what we have in Ireland, Great Britain and Europe.”

Professional football, basketball and baseball dominate American sports sections and television coverage. Track doesn’t get the same exposure.

“Track is on TV in Europe, Britain and Ireland and it’s well promoted,” Coghlan said. “You put the top five milers in the world walking down a street in Dublin and everybody knows who they are. You put the top five milers walking down Fifth Avenue in New York and people wouldn’t know who they are.

“Kids race around the street, playing track and field, in Ireland. It’s like kids playing pickup basketball here.”

Coghlan added that American youngsters need a role model, someone, perhaps, like the late Steve Prefontaine, who was exciting and had a lot of charisma.

Said O’Sullivan: “To be the best in your hometown you may have to be the best in the world. To win, you have to beat a Seb Coe, or Steve Ovett. Track and field is big in Europe.

“I think it can be exploited in the U.S. in terms of getting people interested in it. Unfortunately, that hasn’t materialized. It all goes back to the fact that you have great football and baseball players.”

O’Sullivan, a two-time world indoor 1,500-meter champion, who has been dominant on the boards in recent years, says he isn’t in peak condition for the U.S. indoor circuit.

He was six seconds behind Elliott at the Meadowlands. However, he has another priority this year.

“I’m not in the same form as in the past,” O’Sullivan said. “But, like in anything, you don’t want to look back and say that you didn’t give it your best shot at something. I think my best shot the next three years is the outdoor championships.

“I have had three or four years of tremendous indoor running, which I’m very thankful for. If (not winning) is the price I have to pay for outdoors, it’s a small price to pay.

“At the end of the day it’s what medals you have. I’ve obtained gold medals in the world indoor championships in 1987 and 1989, and, at the same time, I’d like to add to my outdoor running.”

Coghlan, who said that at 37 he is probably in his final season, attended a track luncheon Tuesday along with Elliott, O’Sullivan and Romania’s Doina Melinte.

Melinte broke her own women’s indoor mile record at the Meadowlands with a time of 4:17.13. She also set a 1,500 record of 4:00.27, which she didn’t learn until 15 minutes before the luncheon.

More significant, she was rewarded with $100,000 for breaking it.

As for what she’ll do with the money, she said: “I’m going to keep the money in an American bank, with a branch in Europe.”

Melinte, 33, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the 800 and silver medalist in the 1,500, will run the 800 Friday night.