TRACK AND FIELD: INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS : No Record, but Morceli Still Impressive in Mile

Noureddine Morceli, a 20-year-old Algerian, made another serious run at the world indoor mile record, but settled for meet and track marks in winning at the Mobil Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday night.

Meanwhile, Lance Deal broke the world indoor record in the 35-pound weight throw and produced the three longest throws in history, and Suzy Favor of Wisconsin rallied to defeat Doina Melinte of Romania in the women’s mile.

Deal, 29, uncorked his best throw on his sixth and final attempt, reaching 79 feet 3 3/4 inches.

Morceli, running without the aid of a pacesetter, ran out front throughout and was on pace to break Eamonn Coghlan’s world record of 3 minutes 49.78 seconds going into the final quarter-mile.

But without anyone to push him around Madison Square Garden’s slow 11-laps-to-the-mile track, Morceli slowed and finished in 3:52.99, easily breaking the meet mark of 3:54.98 set by Sydney Maree in 1985 and the track record of 3:53.0 set by Coghlan in 1981.

Ireland’s Marcus O’Sullivan was a distant second, in 3:58.62.

“I was feeling good, that’s why I took the lead early,” Morceli said. “I tried to set a record. I was pushing myself hard.

“I didn’t expect to open that big a lead.”

Deal’s record was 9 1/4 inches farther than the previous mark of 78-6 1/2, set by Tore Johnsen of Norway at Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 25, 1984.

Diane Dixon won a record 10th national title. Her victory in the women’s 400 meters was her ninth in a row and 10th since 1981. It made her the winningest woman in meet history and tied her with race walker Henry Laskau, a winner from 1948-57, for the most victories in meet history.

In the two-heat final, run on a time basis, Dixon was timed in 52.38 seconds.

In one of the closest races, Favor rallied in the final stretch to overtake Melinte at the tape. Favor was timed in 4:37.55 to Melinte’s 4:37.59.

Greg Foster, the world indoor record-holder in the 60-meter hurdles, won his sixth national indoor title in 7.49.

In the women’s triple jump, Juliana Yendork of Walnut, Calif., set a national scholastic record of 43-0 1/2. Her distance also betters the high school outdoor record of 42-10 1/2 that Wendy Brown of Woodside, Calif., set in 1984. Earlier this season, Yendork set the high school indoor record of 42-11 1/2 at the Sunkist meet in the Sports Arena.