GOODWILL GAMES : Lewis Ups Long Jump Streak to 64 in Row : Track and field: He leaps 27-6 on a cold, damp night to beat Powell and Emmiyan.

Carl Lewis may or may not be the world’s fastest man. But there is no doubt that he remains its longest jumper.

After losing in the Goodwill Games 100 meters 48 hours earlier to Santa Monica Track Club teammate Leroy Burrell, Lewis returned to Husky Stadium Wednesday night with his long jump streak of 63 victories in jeopardy.

His adversaries included not only Mike Powell, who finished second to Lewis in the 1988 Summer Olympics and has the world’s longest jump this year, and the Soviet Union’s Robert Emmiyan, the only man besides world record-holder Bob Beamon to jump more than 29 feet, but also the cold, damp and heavy air.

Intermittent drizzle and 60-degree temperatures no doubt were a factor in limiting the attendance to 15,750 on the next-to-last night of the track and field competition.

Most of those who were there no doubt were drawn by Lewis’ attempt to extend a winning streak that began in 1981--nine years, two World Championships, two Olympic gold medals and, now, two Goodwill Games victories ago.

This competition, as it turned out, was over before the third of six rounds was completed.

Powell, the national champion from West Covina, put pressure on Lewis momentarily with a first jump of 27 feet 4 1/4 inches. But Lewis matched that on his first jump, assumed the lead with a third jump of 27-6 and was never threatened again.

Powell’s first jump also proved to be his best as he finished second. Emmiyan finished third at 27-0.

It will not be one of the more memorable victories for Lewis, who routinely wins with 28-foot jumps.

“You always want to go farther,” he said. “We all felt we could jump 28 feet. But it was colder than I thought it would be, and I really didn’t get in a groove tonight.

“The important thing about the streak is that I have been able to put together performances to win so many long jumps under so many different conditions.”

One condition that Lewis has avoided is high altitude, which is believed to aid sprinters and jumpers. Bob Beamon’s 22-year-old world record of 29-2 1/2 came 7,400 feet above sea level at Mexico City.

Lewis, 29, has said in the past that he would prefer to break the record at sea level. But with time perhaps running out on his career, Lewis has agreed to compete in the long jump on Aug. 8 at Sestriere, Italy, which is 6,400 feet above sea level.

He said that he was not going to the Dolomites specifically to break the record.

“I just want to jump well,” he said.

The drama that was missing in the long jump was provided by the decathletes.

Entering the 10th and final event, U.S. champion Dave Johnson of Montclair, Calif., needed to finish 3 1/2 seconds ahead of teammate Dan O’Brien of Moscow, Idaho, in the 1,500 meters to win.

Johnson finished third in 4:26.19, more than 10 seconds ahead of the sixth-place O’Brien. That gave Johnson 8,403 points to O’Brien’s 8,358. The Soviet Union’s Mikhail Medved finished third at 8,330.

Johnson, the United States’ best decathlete since 1976 Olympic champion Bruce Jenner, never looked back to see if O’Brien was closing on him. Johnson said his coach at Azusa Pacific, Terry Francis, was supposed to cackle like a chicken as a warning if O’Brien was gaining.

O’Brien took the lead after Tuesday’s second event and held it through the ninth event Wednesday. But he said he did not expect to hold on in the 1,500, which is not one of his better events.

“It’s a Clydesdale vs. a racehorse,” O’Brien said. “If I don’t get it done by the 1,500, I’m not going to do it.”

Johnson, O’Brien and teammate Sheldon Blockberger combined for 24,763 points, a world-record for a three-man team in the decathlon.

O’Brien credited instruction and encouragement they received in a recent seminar from former decathletes Jenner, Bob Mathias, Bill Toomey and Milt Campbell.

“They want us to bring back the pride that used to be with American decathletes,” he said.

Morocco’s Hammou Boutayeb won the 10,000 meters in 27:26.43, fastest time in the United States since Kenyan Henry Rono’s 27:29.90 in 1982.