BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 9 : Devers Says She Had No Sensation in Feet During Her Final Two Races

Olympic 100-meter champion Gail Devers was bothered by numbness in her legs during her races, a condition that she said persisted on Sunday.

The problem apparently is related to her battle with Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition that nearly resulted in the amputation of her feet a year ago.

The numbness began before Saturday’s 100-meter semifinals, Devers said Sunday. Her coach, Bob Kersee, noticed she was slow out of the blocks.

“He said, ‘What’s wrong?’ and I said, ‘I couldn’t feel my feet,’ ” Devers said.

Kersee consulted Bob Forster, Devers’ physical therapist, who said he wasn’t sure how serious the problem was. Kersee had some advice for Devers.

“He told me, ‘This is the Olympic Games. You’ve worked hard to get here. If you can’t feel your feet, you work your arms and tell your feet to keep up,’ ” she said.

Although the numbness persisted Sunday in her right leg from her hip to her toes, Devers didn’t seem too concerned. She said the problem might be the result of the dosage of the synthetic thyroid medicine she takes daily.

“Once that’s adjusted, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said.

Despite the numbness, Devers ran a personal-best 10.82 seconds in winning Saturday’s final.