UC IRVINE TRACK AND FIELD INVITATIONAL : Finland’s Alafrantti Warms Up to the Javelin

Paivi Alafrantti of Finland took advantage of the warm weather and a favorable wind to win the women’s javelin at the Irvine Track and Field Invitational Saturday at UC Irvine.

Alafrantti, who finished 10th in the 1988 Olympics and has a personal best of 213 feet, won with a throw of 186-3. Louise Perreault of the University of Arizona finished second at 173-3.

Alafrantti, who is part of a Finish contingent that is competing and training in California, said she didn’t feel much power behind her throws.

“The competition was excellent for me, but there was no explosion,” Alafrantti said. “Every motion was slow, but the wind was very good to me. I liked throwing into the wind.”

She also liked the weather. Alafrantti, who lives in Kerava--a town near Helsinki--said the temperature there now is about 25 degrees cooler than Southern California.

“You can train without (so many) clothes,” said Alafrantti, who has been staying in Santa Barbara. “In Finland, you need five layers of clothing and long warm-ups.”

The meet entry list for the javelin competition read like a Who’s Who of throwers. However, Karin Smith, a three-time U.S. Olympian, and Donna Mayhew and Durelle Schimek, both nationally ranked, did not compete.

Smith, who recently moved to the Southland from Eugene, Ore., said one of the reasons she didn’t compete was because she had worked some extra jobs this week that left her tired.

“There also has to be pressure,” said Smith, who has been a member of the U.S. National team 11 times. “I can’t really get excited about a small meet. I need a pressure-cooker (of a meet) or I don’t have any adrenalin.”

Last Sunday, Smith won the javelin at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays, where Mayhew placed second and Alafrantti third.

Alisa Hill didn’t have any trouble with the low-key atmosphere of Saturday’s meet, however. Hill, who, perhaps, is better known as Alisa Harvey--she married former UC Irvine hurdler Richard Hill 11 days ago--broke the meet record in the 800-meter run, winning in 2 minutes 5.46 seconds. The previous record of 2:07.08 was set in 1978 by Julie Brown.

Hill also won the 1,500, holding off a strong field of runners that included UC Irvine junior Buffy Rabbitt, Arizona’s Bridget Smyth and Laura Cattivera of the Nike Coast club. For the first two laps of the race, Hill let Rabbitt and Cattivera set the pace, but took over with 500 meters left. She won in 4:18.42, and Rabbitt finished second in a season-best 4:22.98.

Hill, who was ranked eighth nationally last year in the 1,500, said she felt good in the race but was battling a throat infection for which she was taking antibiotics.

“I haven’t been a healthy person,” Hill said. “But this is a nice, low-key meet, so it gives me a good chance to see where I’m at.”

She said she wasn’t looking for any specific time in the race, only a good effort. In contrast, Rabbitt, who redshirted last year to study in France, came closer to qualifying for the NCAA meet. She had already met the provisional qualifying standard of 4:27.0, running 4:26.41 in early April.