TRACK AND FIELD : JUNIOR OLYMPICS : Shy Haddad Wins Girls’ 200 Meters

Aminah Haddad wants only to run. She does not want publicity or reporters hanging around asking questions.

That might pose a problem if she reaches her stated goal of becoming the fastest woman in the world.

To that end, she is making strides.

Haddad, 13, of Long Beach, won the youth girls’ 200 meters Saturday in the Junior Olympics at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Her time of 24.04 seconds would have set a national 13-14 age group record if not for a wind reading of 2.9 meters per second. The limit for a record is 2.0.

So, giving one little interview has to be easier than that, right?

“Nope,” Haddad replied.

She is probably right. Running seems to come naturally to Haddad, whose training for the Junior Olympics was limited because she had recently finished a long season running for Long Beach Poly High.

As a freshman, she finished second in the 100 and 200 in the State high school meet last spring.

Charles Clinton, an assistant track coach at Poly, remembers the first time he saw Haddad run. It was somewhat by accident, since he was at a meet to see Andrea Anderson, also a freshman at Poly last year.

“When (Haddad) ran, she made you take notice,” Clinton said. “Then when you realized how old she was, it was even more of a surprise.”

Haddad also will compete in the final of the 100 meters today at 2:15 p.m. at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Her 400-meter relay team dropped the baton during its heat and failed to qualify for the final.

Junior Olympic Notes

The final day of competition will begin at 8 this morning. . . . Eric Bishop of Chatsworth, Ga., set an intermediate boys’ national record with a high jump of 7 feet 0 3/4 inches. . . . Heather Sterlin of Mission Viejo won the young women’s long jump with a leap of 19-7 1/2. . . . Mike Granville of Canoga Park took the youth boys’ 800 in 1:57.01. . . . Rebecca Witt of Reseda had the best youth girls’ javelin throw, 105-5.