Padilla Sets U.S. 2-Mile Mark : Track: Having to press pace by himself, American breaks his indoor record, finishing in 8:15.02.

Doug Padilla set out to break the world indoor two-mile record Friday night at the Forum in the Times/Eagle Indoor Games.

He had to settle, however, for breaking his own American record with a time of 8:15.02 while running virtually by himself for the final mile before a crowd of 8,127.

Britain’s Peter Elliott, who is emerging as the next great middle-distance runner, wasn’t trying for any record.

He was just content to win in the time of 3:55.51, not challenging Eamonn Coghlan’s world indoor record of 3:49.78.

Elliott took the lead with less than five laps left and easily stayed ahead of Algeria’s Nourredine Morcelli, who runs for Riverside City College, and Ireland’s Marcus O’Sullivan. Elliott was easing up near the finish line.

“The most important thing for me was to win,” Elliott said. “The track is tough. It’s a bit worn out. It’s much tougher than the Meadowlands.”

Elliott was referring to the Meadowlands Invitational in East Rutherford, N.J., where he he ran 3:52.02 last week.

Elliott, a steel-mill carpenter when he isn’t running, has been impressive in his two indoor races in the United States.

“I’m not surprised because I knew what kind of shape I was in,” he said.

Padilla said he was hoping to break the world record of 8:13.2 set by Emiel Puttemans of Belgium in 1973. However, he had to settle for breaking his own U.S. record of 8:15.3, set in 1985 in San Diego. Behind Padilla was David Abshire in 8:32.34.

“I took the gamble to go out by myself and really push it,” Padilla said. “This is the healthiest I’ve been since 1985, and that’s why I have been running so well this season.”

Puttemans had the advantage of setting his record on an oversized track, eight laps to the mile. Padilla’s American records came on tracks of 11 laps to a mile.

Doina Melinte, who set a women’s world indoor mile record of 4:17.13 a week ago Friday at the Meadowlands Invitational, didn’t come close to a record while running the 800 meters.

However, the Romanian athlete won easily. She took the lead from Sweden’s Maria Akraka just past the 400-meter mark and kept widening her lead. She won by an estimated 25 to 30 meters.

Her winning time was 2:02.64, compared to the world record of 1:56.40 set by East Germany’s Christine Wachtel in 1988.

Dawn Sowell, who set a meet record of 7.15 in winning the 60 meters last year, became a casualty after her heat Friday night.

She won, but then couldn’t keep her balance and fell. She reportedly had a hip injury.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who was in the same heat, said, “I saw her lean and lose her step and I had to jump over her.”

Joyner-Kersee finished second in the sprint final behind Michelle Finn, who won in 7.19. However, Joyner-Kersee earlier won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.01, her first victory in four races on the indoor circuit this winter.

Mike Marsh, the former UCLA sprinter, won the men’s 60 in 6.63; and Tonie Campbell, formerly of USC, won the men’s 60-meter hurdles in 7.64. Neither threatened meet records.

Eddie Hart, who didn’t make it to the starting line on time in the 100 meters in a famous incident in the 1972 Olympics, had some bad luck in his 60-meter heat. The 40-year-old Hart slipped coming out his blocks and was left there.

Track Notes

Peter Elliott will fly home today and will compete for Britain against East Germany in an indoor meet next Friday in Scotland. . . . Elliott is an accomplished 800-meter runner with a best time of 1:43.41. “I didn’t start concentrating on 1,500 meters until 1988, so I haven’t really achieved what I want to in the sport,” he said. “It is a new decade and I believe it’s going to be a new era in distance running in Britain.” Comparing the 800 to the 1,500, Elliott said: “The 800 is one long sprint from gun to the tape. You have more time to think about tactics in the 1,500. You have to run a fast 800 to run quick over 1,500.”

For the record: Danny Everett set a world indoor record of 45.04 in the 400 meters, not 500, in a recent meet in Stuttgart, West Germany. Said Everett: “I once had a phobia about running indoors. My forte is still running outdoors.”

Everett had to hold off Andrew Valmon and David Patrick Friday night in the 500, but still won in 1:03.19. He didn’t come close to the world record of 1:01.17 set by Ken Lowrey in 1987. . . . Eamonn Coghlan, 37, in what could have been his last race in Los Angeles, finished third in the two mile with a time of 8:34.13. . . . Steve Scott finished fourth in the mile at 3:59.78 and now has run a sub four-minute mile in three decades.