Injury Stops Cason in 100 : Track and field: He tears left Achilles’ tendon and collapses in first-round heat at U.S. trials.

Andre Cason’s hopes of emerging from the U.S. Olympic track and field trials as the country’s No. 1 sprinter came to an end less than midway through the first round of the 100 meters Friday, when he collapsed to the track at Tad Gormley Stadium after feeling the rip in his left Achilles’ tendon.

John Smith, who coaches Cason in Westwood, initially described the injury as a slight tear, but he later said that he believes the former Texas A&M; sprinter will be in a cast for the next two months. Cason was taken to East Jefferson Parrish Hospital for X-rays.

Although he won a gold medal as a member of the United States’ 400-meter relay team in the 1991 World Championships, Cason, 23, had been known primarily for his success indoors until this season. Entering this meet, he had the fourth-fastest legal time in the world this year, 10.08 seconds, and ran a wind-aided 9.88 on May 16 at Modesto.

But Smith said that Cason, who earlier this season had shoulder problems, injured the Achilles’ tendon during a workout and did not allow himself proper time to recover before resuming training.

“To tell a sprinter to sit down and wait and let time heal you, it’s a very difficult thing because he is used to defying time,” Smith said. “But he put more pressure on the body than it could take. An Olympic year does that to you.

“He would have made the team if he had been healthy. I think he would have won. But he’ll be back. This is Carl Lewis’ Games. Atlanta in 1996 will be for the newcomers.”

Another promising young sprinter, Henry Neal of Blinn Junior College at Brenham, Tex., coasted to the finish line in his first-round heat because of an unspecified injury and failed to advance. He is tied with two others as the world’s fifth-fastest sprinter this year with a legal best of 10.09.

All of the other highly ranked sprinters, including Lewis, Leroy Burrell, Mike Marsh and Dennis Mitchell, easily qualified for today’s semifinals. The final also is scheduled for today, as are the women’s semifinals and final in the 100. Three-time Olympian Evelyn Ashford got through the first two rounds, as did Inger Miller of USC and Marion Jones, a high school junior from Thousand Oaks.

Trying to earn a berth on her fifth Olympic team, Karin Smith, formerly of UCLA, attempted only one throw in the javelin before withdrawing because of a shoulder injury. “Don’t count me out in ‘96,” said Smith, 36.

Among other veterans who failed to advance through Friday’s qualifying were pole vaulters Mike Tully, 35, and Earl Bell, 36. But Mary Slaney, coming off the 14th operation on her well-worn legs at age 33, made it to Monday’s final in the 3,000 by finishing second in her heat to PattiSue Plumer. Ram wide receiver Henry Ellard fouled on his first two attempts and passed on the third in failing to advance in the triple jump.

The high temperature Friday was 94 degrees with 51% humidity, resulting in complaints from many runners. That includes Lewis, who trains in equally sweltering Houston. But half-miler George Kersh of the Santa Monica Track Club seemed at home. “I’ve been in hotter places,” he said. “I’m from Mississippi.” Attendance was 13,461.