TRACK AND FIELD / U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS : On Comeback Trail, Cason Races to Front

“Now, that was a strong field,” Andre Cason said. “Think about it.”

OK. The men’s 100-meter final Thursday in the USA/Mobil Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field included two-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder Carl Lewis, former world record-holders Leroy Burrell and Calvin Smith, Olympic bronze-medalist Dennis Mitchell and Olympic 200-meter champion Michael Marsh.

And then there was the 24-year-old Cason, who began to establish his own credentials by beating all of them. His time of 9.85 seconds--the same as recorded by runner-up Mitchell--was faster than Lewis’ world record of 9.86, but it is not eligible for record consideration because the tailwind of 4.80 meters per second was more than the allowable 2.0.

Lewis, 31, finished third in 9.9, which might have been a disappointment at an earlier stage of his career. But, in this case, it was a significant improvement over his sixth-place finish in last year’s national championships. The first three finishers qualify for the World Championships in August at Stuttgart, Germany.

It was in last year’s nationals, which also served as the U.S. Olympic trials, that Cason was expected to emerge as one of the world’s premier outdoor sprinters. But he collapsed on the track in the first round because of an injury, initially misdiagnosed as a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, and did not compete again the rest of the year.

If there was any doubt that he was back, he removed it in the first and second rounds Wednesday night by twice running 9.79, tied for the second-fastest ever under all conditions, although those times also were wind-aided.

While Cason recovered from his injury last summer, Gail Devers was in Barcelona, establishing herself as the world’s best female sprinter with a gold-medal performance in the 100 meters. No one could prove she does not deserve that distinction Thursday, when she won in 10.82, aided by a prevailing wind of 2.20.

Gwen Torrence, who created a controversy after crossing the line at Barcelona in fourth place by implying that Devers’ victory was drug-aided, finished second in 11.03 and Michelle Finn third in 11.07.

Asked if she had been beaten “fair and square,” Torrence only smiled.

Devers’ day had been long enough without getting into a verbal battle. Before and after the 100-meter final, she ran rounds in the 100-meter hurdles, winning both to advance to today’s final.

Failing to advance past the semifinals in the men’s 110-meter hurdles were two of the event’s best, Greg Foster and Renaldo Nehemiah. The 15-year rivalry between the two 34-year-old hurdlers began at Hayward Field in 1978 in the NCAA championships and probably ended Thursday, when Foster hit the fourth and fifth hurdles and stopped and Nehemiah fell after crashing into the fifth hurdle.

Another poignant moment came in the second semifinal of the 800 meters, when Olympic bronze medalist Johnny Gray slowed at the finish to let Scott Peters cross the line just ahead of him in first place. Peters, however, will not join Gray in Saturday’s final because Peters will be in Florida getting married.

“I gave that gift to Scott because he’s getting married,” Gray said.

Cason, while recovering at his home in Virginia Beach, Va., moped around the house so much that his father finally forced him to mow the lawn--with his track shoes on.

Enjoying the feel of them, Cason resumed weight training at a gym, where his workout partners were members of the Duvas’ boxing stable and Buffalo Bill defensive end Bruce Smith.

Smith, recovering from a knee injury, provided inspiration. “He told me, ‘Relax, you’ve got a lot of years left in the sport,’ ” Cason said.

That was later confirmed by a doctor, who determined that Cason’s injury was a torn calf muscle. If his leg had not been in a cast for 3 1/2 weeks as a result of the misdiagnosis, Cason could have returned to the track late last summer.

Track Notes

USA Track and Field announced Thursday that it would give bonuses ranging from $500 to $3,000 to U.S. athletes who finish in second through eighth places in the World Championships in August at Stuttgart, Germany. The International Amateur Athletic Federation earlier announced that first-place finishers would receive $30,000 automobiles.