Reynolds Advances to Final : Olympic trials: He finishes second to Watts, who turns in fastest 400 time since 1988 with run of 43.97.

Butch Reynolds’ bid to make the U.S. Olympic team continued without interruption Wednesday night when he finished second in his semifinal heat of the men’s 400 meters.

Although Reynolds, competing for the third time in under 29 hours after having raced only five times in two years, was runner-up to Quincy Watts, he moved into Friday night’s final in the U.S. Olympic trials.

Watts, the NCAA champion from USC, won in 43.97 seconds, the fastest time since the 1988 Olympics and matching the sixth-best ever. Watts won the collegiate championship earlier this month in 44.00.

Reynolds’ time of 44.14, tying the 16th-best in history, was sensational, considering his lack of recent activity. And it was much faster than that of Danny Everett, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, who won the other semifinal in 44.69. Steve Lewis, the 1988 Olympic champion, followed Everett in 44.77, while 1991 world champion Antonio Pettigrew finished fifth and failed to qualify for the final.

Reynolds, the world record-holder and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, was suspended for two years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation after testing positive for steroids at a meet in Monte Carlo in August 1990. His suspension expires Aug. 11, two days after the Olympics.

However, Reynolds, who has maintained he is an innocent victim, has fought his case in the courts, finally winning Supreme Court clearance to compete in the trials last Saturday, the day first-round heats were scheduled in the 400.

While the political wrangling was transpiring, the 400 heats were postponed until Tuesday night. The postponement did not affect Reynolds. He won his first-round heat in 44.58 and his quarterfinal heat in 44.68, the fastest times during the first two rounds.

In finals Wednesday, Johnny Gray took the men’s 800 in 1:42.80, fastest in the world this year, and Jud Logan won the men’s hammer throw at 262-10, a trials record.

Gray took the lead with a powerful burst in the first 150 meters. Gray, the American record-holder at 1:42.60, held it the rest of the way, finishing with the fastest time in the world since he ran 1:42.65 in 1988.

Mark Everett and Tony Parilla, about 25 meters back in the pack with about 250 meters remaining, rushed up to finish second and third. Everett was the runner-up in 1:43.67, his career best, and Parilla, the NCAA champion from Tennessee, edged George Kersh for third place in 1:43.97, his personal best. Kersh, fourth in the 1988 trials, was fourth again in 1:44.00.

The top times ranked 1-2-3 in the world this year, with Kersh’s equaling the fourth best.

Logan’s winning throw was the fourth time in the competition that the meet record of 253-6, by Ken Flax in 1988, was broken, and was the sixth best ever by an American. Lance Deal was the first to smash it, throwing 256-8. Logan improved it to 261-2 and Deal followed with 262-3, No. 8 all-time U.S.

With Logan, the American record-holder, winning at 268-8, Deal finished second and Flax third at 254-5. This is the same U.S. Olympic hammer throw team as in 1988.

In addition, injury plagued Mary Slaney, the American record-holder, eased through her 1,500-meter first-round heat in 4:13.07, the fastest time overall. PattiSue Plumer, winner of the 3,000 meters Monday night, won her 1,500 heat in 4:14.61.