Backley Is ‘Perfect’ to Set Javelin Record : Track and field: Briton throws 293-11 at Stockholm. Harrison misses triple jump mark by 1 1/2 inches.

Steve Backley of Britain broke the world javelin record with a throw of 293 feet 11 inches in the DN Galan Grand Prix track and field meet Monday.

Backley made what he called a perfect toss in the first round of the competition. Patrik Boden of Sweden, who also was competing, set the previous mark of 292-4 in March at Austin, Tex.

“I’m a very happy man,” Backley said. “I just cracked it. I didn’t feel it leave my hand.

“There were no vibrations on the javelin. It was a perfect throw. I’ve never seen a new javelin fly like that.”

After his record throw, Backley passed the last five rounds of the contest.

“The competition was over then,” Backley said. “There was no point in risking injury.”

It was the 77th world record set in Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium, site of the 1912 Summer Games, and the fifth world mark in the javelin.

Backley, 21, of Cambridge, won the Commonwealth Games’ javelin title early this year at 290-3 and has shown top form recently.

Only three days ago, he threw 286-2 in a meet in England.

But he didn’t expect a world record in Stockholm.

“I didn’t expect it to go that far because the conditions were not perfect and I struggled during the warm-up.”

Masami Yoshida of Japan was second at 264-6 and Boden was third with 264-4.

Kenny Harrison of the United States came within 1 1/2 inches of the world triple jump record, going 58-10 in the fifth round.

Willie Banks of the United States set the world record of 58-11 1/2 in 1985. Harrison’s jump was the third-longest in history and 18 1/4 inches longer than his previous personal best outdoors.

Mike Conley made it an American double by going 57-2 and Jan Cado, an American-based Czechoslovak, was third at 56-5 1/4.

Khalid Skah of Morocco and Danny Harris of the United States clocked the world’s fastest times of the season in the 5,000 meters and 400-meter hurdles.

Skah, who won the world cross-country title this year and didn’t compete in international track meets until last season, won in 13:09.55, becoming the 12th runner to go under 13:10.

Hammou Boutayeb, Morocco’s Olympic champion, placed second in 13:11.69 and Dionisio Castro of Portugal was third in 13:14.15.

Harris set a meet record of 47.98 seconds in beating two-time U.S. champion David Patrick by .45.

Joe Falcon won the 1,500 meters 3:35.52.

“But if I’m going to run faster I have to get to the front faster,” Falcon, usually a slow starter, said. “Later in the season, the pace won’t be so slow early.”

Simon Doyle of Australia was second in 3:36.13 and W.O. Kirochi of Kenya was third in 3:36.49.

Leroy Burrell of the United States blazed a wind-aided 9.95 seconds in the 100 meters. Burrell, who won the long jump at Olympic Stadium last year, beat one of the strongest fields of the year in the event.

The race was marred by three false starts by different sprinters.

Linford Christie of Britain, the European record-holder, was second in 10.12. Third was Olapade Adeniken of Nigeria in 10.21.