A True Trial for Sprinters : Track and field: Merely qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in 100 meters might take a world record.

It has been called the world’s third-best track and field meet, trailing in terms of performance and prestige only the Olympics and the World Championships. Although that might be an exaggeration in a number of events, certainly including those that require athletes either to run or throw long distances, there is no question that the U.S. Olympic trials are the most severe challenge in the world for male sprinters.

Consider that the first three finishers in the 100 meters at last summer’s World Championships--Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell and Dennis Mitchell--are entered in the trials, and then consider that at least two may not finish among the top three to earn a place in the event for the U.S. team that will compete later this summer at Barcelona.

In the 100-meter final in the 1991 World Championships at Tokyo, the fastest race of all time, six men recorded times under 10 seconds. If the heat and humidity are not quite as oppressive as forecast, and if the elite sprinters can survive the first two rounds today and the semifinals Saturday against a much deeper field than competed at Tokyo, perhaps as many will finish in under 10 seconds in the final.

And what will it take to win that final Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium?

“A world record,” Burrell predicted last month.

That is what it took for Burrell to beat Lewis in last summer’s national championships at New York. That also is what it took for Lewis to beat Burrell in the World Championships. Although Burrell bettered his record of 9.90 by running 9.88 at Tokyo, he still finished second to Lewis’ 9.86.

But anyone who concentrates only on Lewis and Burrell here might miss the race. The names of Mike Marsh, Andre Cason, Henry Neal and Mitchell are all possibilities for Sunday’s headlines.

No U.S. sprinter has a better legal time this season than Marsh, a former Pac-10 champion from UCLA who has emerged internationally since joining Lewis and Burrell under Coach Tom Tellez at Houston.

Marsh ran the world’s second-fastest time this year, 9.93, in April at Mt. SAC, where he beat Nigerian Davidson Ezinwa of Azusa Pacific, whose 9.91 a week earlier remains the world leader. Lewis was third in that Mt. SAC race in 10.12.

Although Marsh has been critical of the techniques he was taught at UCLA, his coach there, John Smith, is having considerable success with Cason. Considered primarily an indoor sprinter during his college career at Texas A&M;, he has turned into an outdoor threat since moving to Westwood.

His 10.08 is the fourth-best time in the world this year. He also had a wind-assisted 9.88 in May at Modesto, where he beat Burrell’s 9.96.

The third-best legal time by a U.S. sprinter this year belongs to neither Lewis nor Burrell but to Neal, a 21-year-old sophomore from Blinn Junior College at Brenham, Tex. He has run a legal 10.09 and a wind-aided 10.07.

Then there is Mitchell, who often is overlooked, even though he ranked third in the world last year, ran a 9.91 in winning the bronze medal at Tokyo and combined there with Lewis, Burrell and Cason to break the world record in the 400-meter relay.

Mitchell’s best this season is a wind-aided 10.07, but he, like Lewis, whose best is a wind-aided 10.06, says that he has been training to peak for the trials.

Lewis, who will turn 31 in two weeks, acknowledged Thursday that there is more competition in the 100 meters here than in his previous trials, 1980, ’84 and ’88. He won the last two, when he went on to become the Olympic gold medalist.

“It’s more difficult now, but you have to meet the challenge or retire,” he said.

The 100 meters will not be Lewis’ only challenge before the trials end June 28. He also is entered in the 200 against No. 1-ranked Michael Johnson and in the long jump against world record-holder Mike Powell.

Lewis’ coaches, Tellez and Mike Takaha, say that they are not concerned because he has proved during the last decade that he thrives on pressure.

Burrell, 25, said that he would like to inspire the same confidence.

“I hope I’m the kind of person who does very well in a situation like this,” he said. “I know I’m that kind of person.”

But Burrell backed off his earlier prediction that it would take a world record to win here. Although Lewis, Burrell, Marsh and another teammate, Mark Witherspoon, believe they will not be affected by the heat and humidity because they train in similar conditions at Houston, Burrell said it might be too early in the season for them to run three rounds and then have enough energy left for a record-breaking time in the final.

“I guess it’s possible,” Marsh said. “But we could go on all day speculating. Let’s just line up and race.”

* BAD TIMING

A change in the schedule at the Barcelona Games will force Carl Lewis to choose between the 200 meters and the long jump. C5