Barnes (75-9 1/2) Nearly Sets Record Again : Track and field: Shotputter’s effort at Jenner meet is second only to his 75-10 1/4 throw the previous weekend.

There were no balloons bordering the shotput area, and there wasn’t as much pre-meet hype in regard to a possible world record.

Nonetheless, Randy Barnes came ever so close to breaking the world record of 75 feet 10 1/4 inches that he set last Sunday at UCLA.

He had only one fair throw out of six Saturday at the Bruce Jenner Invitational meet at San Jose City College. However, it was a quite an effort--75-9 1/2, the second best mark of all time.

The throw broke the listed world record of 75-8, set by East Germany’s Ulf Timmermann in 1988.

So Barnes has made the two best throws of all time in less than a week.

Barnes said he was emotionally drained from last Sunday’s meet.

“I was strung out after the record and I had to do some traveling,” he said. “Also, I wasn’t as isolated this week as I was last week.

“I wasn’t as sure of myself in the ring and I was little out of control. I’m not excited about my consistency, but the bottom line is that I got that throw and I’m really excited about that.”

Barnes’ big throw came on his second appearance in the ring, as it did in last Sunday’s meet.

“I saw the chalk kick up, and I knew it was close (to a record), but I wasn’t convinced,” Barnes said.

Barnes, 23, then fouled on his remaining throws.

Barnes said he had a low-key training week and didn’t have any “bombs” like his 79-2 1/2 practice throw the previous week.

“I’m just tired emotionally from last week,” he said. “As much as I tried to, it’s impossible not to get caught up with every thing.”

Last Sunday, Barnes averaged 73-10 3/4 on his six throws without a foul, the best series ever. Actually, his average was better Saturday since he had only one fair throw.

He said he visualizes his throws before he steps into the ring. “But there was a blank spot on my tape when I was throwing today,” he said, referring to his fouls.

In the high jump, Hollis Conway came close to breaking his American record of 7 feet 10 inches.

After Conway cleared 7-8, he had the bar raised to 7-10 1/2. He barely brushed the bar on his second attempt.

“The 7-8 jump was perfect,” said Conway, the silver medalist in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. “And, at 7-10 1/2, I was trying to relive my jump at 7-8.”

Conway said he’s not as ready as he wants to be technically, but he’s not concerned.

“I’m going to jump eight feet,” he said. “Last year I was just hoping to do it.”

Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor is the world record-holder at eight feet even.

Joe Falcon, who won the mile last Sunday at UCLA, easily won the 1,500 meters.

He sprinted away from the field in the final 500 meters and was easing up at the finish line. His time was 3 minutes 38.95 seconds, equivalent to a 3:56 mile.

Steve Scott, the U.S. mile record-holder, lagged in eighth place.

“There’s something wrong with me physically,” Scott said. “I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve been fatigued all week.”

Scott, 34, has been America’s premier miler for virtually the past 13 years.

Falcon, 23, the former Arkansas star, was asked if he’s now replacing Scott in that designation.

“It was not the end of an era. I was just fortunate to beat him,” Falcon said. “He has everything to lose, and I have nothing to lose.”

Scott was more competitive in finishing second to Falcon last Sunday at UCLA.

“Joe’s in great shape and he’s going to be tough to beat,” Scott said.

Falcon said his goal is to run a 3:48 mile and then move to the 5,000 meters. Scott’s U.S. record is 3:47.69.

Track Notes

Six Cuban athletes expected to compete, notably Javier Sotomayor and Ana Quirot, did not. They were reportedly denied U.S. entry visas four times in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When the visas were finally approved Friday, the Cubans had already left Sao Paulo and were on their way to a meet in Madrid. Quirot was top ranked in the women’s 400 and 800 meters in 1989. . . . In one of the most competitive races of the day, Doug Padilla out-kicked Algeria’s Nourredine Morceli in the 3,000 meters. Padilla’s winning time was 7:59.02, while Morceli was timed in 7:59.81. Morceli, who competes for Riverside City College, and Padilla sprinted furiously together down the final stretch, but the experienced Padilla had the better burst at the end. . . . Svetlana Kitova of the Soviet Union won the women’s 1,500 meters in the meet-record time of 4:05.96.