U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : TRACK AND FIELD : Powell Shows You Can Go Home Again

Mike Powell’s homecoming brought with it the rejuvenation he was hoping for.

Powell, who lives in Alta Loma, is home on a rare leave from the grueling European track season. So, the idea that last year’s No. 1 long jumper could jump at a low-key meet at home appealed to both Powell and the organizers of the Olympic Festival track and field competition.

It worked out well for everyone. Powell won the long jump Saturday, with a fine jump of 27 feet 8 inches before an estimated crowd of 3,523 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium. The mark was well short of the 28-3 that Powell jumped earlier this season in Germany, but Powell pronounced himself satisfied.

“I was hoping to get out around 27-6, 27-7,” he said. “A lot of times it’s hard to get motivated when you don’t have the Carl Lewises and the Larry Myrickses to jump against.”

Powell did have the motivation of jumping at UCLA, where he attended school for a year. Powell said he has never jumped well here and thus his mark Saturday become his best ever at this track.

In other events, Sue Rembao of San Luis Obispo won the high jump at 6-2 3/4. Cindy Greiner, the No. 2 U.S. heptathlete, was tied for second, having cleared 5-10.

Greiner, of Boise, Ida., was one of four heptathletes entered in the high jump. She has qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo in both the seven-event heptathlon and the long jump, as has Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the heptathlon world record-holder.

Greiner, 34, said she sometimes gets the feeling that other athletes wish she would consider retiring, or at least limiting the number of events she enters.

“I think most people wish I would drop dead,” she said, laughing. “I know, I used to feel that way with Jane Frederick, always asking her if she was ever going to retire.”

Greiner did retire, after the 1988 Olympics. But after getting her MBA at the University of Oregon, getting a job and “settling down,” Greiner found she missed the sport.

So, Greiner is here fine-tuning her jumping--she is in the long jump today--and preparing for Tokyo.

Mike Barnett set a Festival record in the javelin with a winning throw of 260-7. He broke his own record of 260-1, set in 1986.

Barnett, who lives in Glendora, said he had the opportunity to go to Europe to compete but stayed home to train. “I was looking forward to this competition,” Barnett said. “I felt good in the warm-ups, I think I just got too excited.”

Jason Rouser of Lawton, Okla., won the 200 meters in 20.75, not bad considering the cool weather. “I was concerned about the weather,” Rouser said. “I prefer really hot weather to run in.”

Bo Reed of Flagstaff, Ariz., set a Festival record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:26.82. He broke the record of 28:53.80 set in 1982 by Pat Porter.