Joyner-Kersee Dedicates Feat to Namesake

Jackie Joyner-Kersee shattered her American record in the women’s long jump with a leap of 24 feet 7 inches at the New York Games on Sunday. Her old mark was 24-5 1/2, set in 1987.

Joyner-Kersee dedicated her performance to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died Thursday.

“My great grandmother gave me the name Jacqueline,” Joyner-Kersee said. “She said someday I would be the First Lady of something.”

Carl Lewis, the three-time Olympic gold medalist in the men’s long jump, won with a wind-aided 27-8 3/4 in his first competition in that event since the 1992 Olympics.

Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan outsprinted defending champion Yvonne Murray to win the Aberdeen 5,000-meter road race in Scotland. The men’s race was won by Ismael Kirui of Kenya.

Boxing

Two former Olympians, Arthur Johnson and Montell Griffin, headline tonight’s boxing matches at the Forum. Johnson, a 1988 Olympian, will fight Alberto (Raton) Jimenez in a 10-round flyweight bout. Johnson is 8-1 with five knockouts and Jimenez is 26-3-1 with 23 knockouts.

Griffin, a 1992 Olympian, will fight David Vadder in a 10-round heavyweight bout. Griffin is undefeated in 11 fights--seven by knockout. Vadder is 15-13-4, with three knockouts.

Miscellany

Argentine star Diego Maradona signed a $1.5-million contract to play a maximum of six games with the Bolivian soccer club Bolivar in the Copa Libertadores de America, Bolivar Coach Jose Omar Pastoriza said.

Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes won the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tournament in San Jose, defeating Adam Johnson and Randy Stoklos, 13-12, 7-4. Kammy Ciarelli and Holly McPeak won the women’s final, 15-6, 7-5, over Linda Chisholm and Linda Hanley.

Pat Austin of Tacoma, Wash., defeated Don Prudhomme with a quarter-mile run of 4.882 seconds and a top speed of 282.30 m.p.h. to win the top-fuel title at an NHRA event at Englishtown, N.J. Mark Oswald won the funny-car title. . . . Canadian Pascal Picotte won the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s Superbike race at Laguna Seca.

UC San Diego defeated Cal Lutheran, 11-3 and 8-5, to advance to the NCAA Division III baseball finals starting Thursday in Battle Creek, Mich.