Michael Johnson Extends 400 Streak to 35

Michael Johnson won the 400 meters in 44.32 seconds, matching the fastest time in the world this year, in the Pan Africa-USA meet Saturday at Durham, N.C.

Johnson, who in 1990 became the only athlete ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world in both the 200 and 400, extended his winning streak in the 400 to 35, having not lost since 1990.

Johnson, running in his first 400 of the season, turned in the top performance of the second day of the two-day meet.

Other highlights included Mark Everett’s upset victory in the men’s 800, Regina Jacobs’ upset victory in the women’s 1,500, and Dennis Mitchell’s 9.94 in the 100.

In the 400, Johnson, the 1993 world champion at 400 meters, caught Antonio Pettigrew at 200 meters and surged into a commanding lead at the 300 mark. Pettigrew, the 1991 world champion, finished second in 44.88. Quincy Watts, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, was a late scratch from the 400, but later ran on the winning 1,600-meter relay.

Gwen Torrence, who won the 200 Friday night, came back Saturday to win the 100 in 10.87, third-fastest time in the world this year.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in her right knee when she stumbled over a hurdle Friday and withdrew from Saturday’s long jump.

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In the European Championships at Helsinki, Russia’s Denis Kapustin soared 57 feet 9 3/4 in the triple jump, the best mark in the world this year.

But mishaps marred the day. Decathlete Eduard Hamalainen fell in the hurdles, Darren Braithwaite, Britain’s leadoff runner in the men’s 400-meter relay, dropped the baton in the opening round, and Russia was disqualified in the final for two false starts.

Hamalainen led the decathlon after Friday’s first five events with 4,512 points. But his fall in the hurdles opened the way for France’s Alain Blondel to come from behind and win with 8,453 points.

Baseball

Michael Jordan will sit out his first nationally televised baseball appearance tonight because of a shoulder injury that is expected to sideline him for at least five days.

Jordan sat out Saturday night’s game for the Birmingham Barons in Huntsville, Ala., because of the injury suffered when he dived for a ball Friday night. Jordan is batting .192 in the double-A league. Recently, however, he hit his first two home runs after more than 300 at-bats without one.

The Barons’ game at Memphis tonight will be broadcast by ESPN.

Motor Racing

NASCAR managed to get feuding brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine to talk and even shake hands during a closed-door meeting at Watkins Glen, N.Y., but the relationship remains cool going into today’s Budweiser at the Glen.

The ongoing battle between the Bodines, for reasons they refuse to divulge, became public knowledge a week ago at Indianapolis after a bumping incident in which Brett wound up knocking elder brother Geoff into a wall.

On Saturday, Ron Fellows overcame an early stop-and-go penalty to win the rain-soaked Watkins Glen round of the SCCA Trans-Am Championship.

The Penske Racing trio of Al Unser Jr., Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi will be in the first three positions for today’s Miller Genuine Draft 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Heavy rain Saturday, the second of two qualifying days, prevented drivers from improving their times.

Michael Schumacher of Germany kept the pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix at Mogyorod.

Boxing

Heavyweight Dean Andexler of Portland, Ore., was listed in serious condition at a Boise, Ida., hospital with a brain injury from a fight Thursday night. Andexler underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

Names in the News

Fifth-seeded Andrew Park of San Marino beat Jamal Parker of Atlanta, 6-2, 6-1, to win the U.S. Tennis Assn. Boys 14 singles title in San Antonio.

Pete Sampras withdrew from the $1-million RCA Championships, which start Monday in Indianapolis, because of tendinitis in his left ankle.

Ewa Mataya defeated Robin Bell of Garden Grove, 7-3, in the Gordon’s 9-Ball Championship at Gotham Hall in Santa Monica.