TRACK AND FIELD / MILLROSE GAMES : Reynolds, Young Meet in 400 Meters

Butch Reynolds, the 400-meter world record-holder who was banned from the Barcelona Olympics, will race world 400-meter hurdles record-holder Kevin Young in the 400-meter race at the 86th running of the Millrose Games tonight at Madison Square Garden.

Also, Eamonn Coghlan will attempt to break the four-minute mile barrier for 40-year-olds. Coghlan, the only man to run an indoor mile under 3:50--he ran 3:49.78 in 1983--retired three years ago but resumed training last spring. He turned 40 last Nov. 21 and hopes tonight to at least break the over-40 world mark of 4:05.39, held by Wilson Waigwa in 1989.

Reynolds was banned for two years in 1990 by track and field’s governing body, when the IAAF, the international track federation, said he had tested positive for a banned substance, nandrolone. Reynolds denied using the drug, fought the suspension and in December won a $27.3-million damage suit against the IAAF.

But the IAAF not only said it would not pay any damages, it announced last month that it would punish Reynolds further if he didn’t apologize by Feb. 23 for his remarks about the IAAF’s drug-testing procedures.

Asked this week if he would apologize to the IAAF, Reynolds replied, “Read my lips--NO!”

Young, who broke Edwin Moses’ nine-year-old 400 hurdles world mark with a 46.78-second gold-medal performance in Barcelona, will run against Reynolds in what is the featured race of the night.

Other highlights: --Mary Slaney, indoor and outdoor U.S. mile record-holder, meets Olympic 3,000-meter champion Yelena Romanova of Russia in the mile. --Decathlon world record-holder Dan O’Brien competes in a “Trio for Decathletes”--the 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles and 400 meters. --Olympic heptathlon gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee competes in the 60-meter hurdles. --Gail Devers, 100-meter gold medalist at Barcelona, runs in the 60 sprint.