O’Brien Stars in Solo Act With Half-Decathlon Mark

They have appeared together so often in television commercials that they seem like a team, like Vern and Ernest, but Dan O’Brien stood alone Friday after the first day of the decathlon competition in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, leaving Dave Johnson and everyone else in the field far behind.

Through the first five events, O’Brien’s only competition seems to be a man who is not at Tad Gormley Stadium, Great Britain’s Daley Thompson, who still holds the world record that he set during the 1984 Summer Olympics at Los Angeles.

O’Brien on Friday eclipsed Thompson’s first-day record by 21 points, with a score of 4,698, and, although the one-time juvenile delinquent from Moscow, Ida., is not usually as proficient in the five events that await him today, it is possible that he will enter the Summer Olympics at Barcelona as the new world record-holder.

“I had a front-row seat to watch Dan compete, and it was great,” said Johnson, the other half of the Dan and Dave combination, who did not have an outstanding day in the sweltering conditions, a high temperature of 92 degrees with 62% humidity.

The largest crowd of the trials, 17,255, watched the much-publicized confrontation, many of the spectators wearing Dan & Dave T-shirts and cooling themselves with Dan & Dave hand fans that were distributed by the sports apparel company that sponsors the two decathletes.

Johnson, the former American record-holder who trains in Azusa, is in fifth place with 4,194 points, but he is considerably stronger in the last half of the competition. Although he is not likely to overcome O’Brien’s 504-point advantage, he does not appear in jeopardy of failing to finish among the top three and qualifying for the Olympic team. He is only 68 points behind second-place Chris Huffins.

“The media hype has been a bit of a distraction,” Johnson said. “But I’ve been on the decathlon road for 10 years, and this isn’t going to stop me from getting to Barcelona, where I am going to settle things.”

O’Brien, the world champion, finished first among the 24 competitors in three of Friday’s five events, running the 100 meters into a significant head wind in 10.50 seconds, long jumping 25 feet 11 inches and putting the shot a personal record of 54-5 1/2. Johnson also had his personal best in the shot at 49-4 1/2. O’Brien finished second in the high jump at 6-10 1/4 and third in the 400 meters in 47.92.

“I’m satisfied,” said O’Brien, who had not competed in a decathlon this year before Friday because of a stress fracture in his right fibula. “I was nervous and sick all week leading up to this.”

He said earlier in the day that he did not believe a world record was in reach, but, after finishing the fifth event, the 400 meters, he said, “If it’s possible to get it going into the 1,500 (the 10th event), I’ll go for it.”

Dan and Dave were not the only track and field celebrities competing Friday. Carl Lewis, Mary Slaney, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Steve Scott, Greg Foster, Renaldo Nehemiah and Roger Kingdom qualified for the next round in their events, although Kingdom, two-time Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles, was not optimistic that he will advance much further.

“It will be on a wing and a prayer if I make it through four rounds,” said Kingdom, who is suffering from sore hamstrings in both legs, after finishing third in his first-round heat behind Tony Dees and three-time world champion Foster. Nehemiah, former world record-holder in the event, also finished third in his heat.

In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Joyner-Kersee, who won the heptathlon Sunday, coasted to a second-place finish in her first-round heat, then qualified three hours later for Sunday’s long jump final.

Another busy athlete coached by Bob Kersee at Westwood, Gail Devers, who last Saturday earned a place on the Olympic team in the 100 meters, produced the most impressive performance in the first round of the 100-meter hurdles, an event in which she holds the American record. Her time of 12.86 into a substantial head wind was only three-hundredths of a second off her meet record.

Joining Joyner-Kersee in doubleheaders were two other former UCLA athletes, Danny Everett and Steve Lewis, who returned four hours after their one-two finish in the 400 final to qualify for the second round in the 200 along with Carl Lewis and world champion Michael Johnson.

Lewis, who made the team in the long jump with a second-place finish but failed in the 100, seemed excited about his 20.38 in the 200, even though it was only a first-round race. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for today.

“Whatever it was that was in my system has pretty much left,” said Lewis, who had complained of dehydration and headaches. “I’m coming around.”

Slaney said that she also felt better after qualifying for Sunday’s 1,500 final than she did earlier this week in her sixth-place finish in the 3,000. She finished second in her semifinal heat, as did Scott in his. That men’s 1,500-meter heat was marred by two falls that eliminated Christian Cushing- Murray, formerly of UCLA, and 1988 trials champion Jeff Atkinson from contention.

Three-time world cross-country champion Lynn Jennings won the women’s 10,000-meter final Friday night. Sylvia Mosqueda of Los Angeles missed a berth on the Olympic team by one place, finishing fourth.

Brian Diemer, the steeplechase bronze medalist in 1984, earned a place on his third Olympic team by winning the event here. John Trautmann won the 5,000.