Bubka Clears 19-2 1/4, Barely Misses Record

Sergei Bubka cleared 19 feet 2 1/4 inches, then barely missed a world pole vault record of 20-1 3/4 Saturday night at the Prefontaine Classic meet in Eugene, Ore.

The Ukrainian, who has set world records 34 times, got off to a rocky start by missing at 18-8 1/4. But he sailed easily over the bar on his second try at that height and on his first attempt at 19-2 1/4 before asking that the bar be set just above his world record mark of 20-1 1/4.

Bubka missed badly on his first world-record try but nearly cleared it on his second, knocking the bar off on with his torso on his way down. His third attempt was even closer. He made it all the way over the bar, but brushed it with his arms. The bar stayed in place for an instant, then fell.

Kevin Young (48.59 seconds in the 400 hurdles), Quincy Watts (45.83 in the 400) and Michael Johnson (20.56 in the 200) won their specialties.

World mile record-holder Steve Cram won for the first time since October, 1991 in a 3,000-meter race at Portsmouth, England. The 32-year-old Briton won in 7 minutes 54.22 seconds.

Auto Racing

Todd Bodine led all but four of the final 74 laps to win his first NASCAR Grand National race of the season with a 13.5-second victory over Chad Little on Saturday in the GM Goodwrench 200 at Dover, Del.

Bodine briefly gave up the lead to Larry Pearson during a green-flag pit stop for fuel on Lap 187, but reclaimed the lead on 191 and went on to his fifth victory and second at Dover Downs International Speedway.

Ivan Stewart celebrated his 48th birthday by winning the SCORE Baja 500 off-road race for the 12th time. Stewart averaged 42.96 m.p.h. in his Toyota to win in 10 hours 10 minutes 39 seconds. Walker Evans was second.

Tennis

Martina Navratilova took advantage of the service errors and inexperience of Dutch teen-ager Kristie Boogert at Beckenham, England, to post a 6-3, 6-3 victory at the Beckenham grass-court tennis championships and win her 164th singles title.

Cycling

Moreno Argentin used a strong closing sprint to win the 13th stage of the Tour of Italy and move within seven seconds of fellow Italian and leader Bruno Leali. Argentin moved into third place overall, behind favorite Miguel Indurain of Spain, who is six seconds behind Leali.

Today’s 155-mile leg is perhaps the hardest of the 21-stage event.

Miscellany

Two former Michigan State basketball players say they were given cash and summer jobs that required little or no work while members of the team, the Detroit News reported.

Parish Hickman, who played from 1988-1990, and Jessie Hall, who played from 1987-89, said they received $20 or $50 in cash after nearly every game.

Michigan State Coach Jud Heathcote said the matter would be investigated by the NCAA.

Donyell Marshall scored 20 points to help a U.S. team of college basketball all-stars rebound from a slow start and beat Italy’s national team, 79-70, at Modena, Italy.

The game was the second on a four-game European tour this month arranged by USA Basketball, the sport’s national governing body.

South Korea beat Hong Kong, 4-1, and Bahrain and Lebanon played to a scoreless tie on the opening day of the second round of the Asian Group D 1994 World Cup Soccer qualifier at Seoul.

David Dion hit two home runs to help Tampa win its second consecutive NCAA Division II baseball championship by defeating Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 7-5, at Montgomery, Ala. . . . Hydroplane racing records fell to Chip Hanauer and Mark Tate during qualifying for today’s Gold Cup on the Detroit River.