He Finishes Second, Counts It a Victory : Track and field: Olympic medalist Danny Everett finds the first race the toughest on his comeback trail.

He had waited so long for this moment, had trained so hard for it, Danny Everett should have known some kind of mix-up would delay the start of his first competitive race in three years.

But the anticipation was such that Everett could not contain himself.

“It broke my concentration,” Everett said of the slight delay before Saturday’s 400 meters at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays.

Officials delayed the start for a few minutes as tardy Calvin Davis, a former NCAA champion, rushed to the track to quickly set up.

“I’m not as seasoned as I once was,” Everett said of the lapse.

Still, Everett, 26, had a satisfying return by finishing second to his longtime friend and rival, Steve Lewis, who won the event in 45.06 seconds. Everett was timed in 45.91, slow by his standards.

Ten years ago, as a senior at Fairfax High, Everett ran 45.71 at Mt. SAC when he was jetting toward a star-studded career. He joined Lewis at UCLA, where they propelled the Bruins to success in the mid-’80s. Then the two went to Seoul, South Korea, as two of the world’s premier quarter-milers.

Lewis won the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, Everett the bronze, then dedicated themselves to repeating in Barcelona in 1992.

That’s when misfortune blocked Everett’s path. Undefeated in 1992, he was the Olympic favorite until he strained an Achilles’ tendon 300 meters into a semifinal race at Barcelona.

Lewis eventually won the silver in 1992 and Everett became a footnote in track and field until Saturday’s return at Walnut.

Lewis, who has had his own problems recently, suffering from what he believes are symptoms of Lyme’s disease, said Everett will be a force again.

“His body just has to kick in,” said Lewis, who lives on the same street as Everett in Calabasas.

Standing in the infield after the race, Everett wiped away three years’ worth of sweat and looked relieved. It was an awkward effort, he said. A struggle.

“It hurts a lot more than what I remember,” he said.

Later, Everett reflected about the trials of the past three years and rejoiced in the personal victory.

In late 1993, Everett ruptured an Achilles’ tendon while doing nothing more strenuous than walking on a street in Beverly Hills. He has sued a physician for malpractice.

What he wanted more than money, though, was a chance to run again. To think he might never do so was unthinkable.

So, even when rehabilitation was not going well, Everett continued to believe.

“I don’t think I admitted to myself that it might have been too tough a climb to make,” he said.

Then, small improvements during training fueled his optimism. Everett took tiny triumphs and continued the upward hike with renewed vigor.

Although he was targeting the low 45s, Saturday’s time was not as important as the fact he was there, churning his arms and legs and fighting a formidable opponent such as Lewis once again.

He hopes fans realize this is not the same Everett who broke 44 seconds in the 400 meters at the 1988 U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Indianapolis.

“I’m coming back a different person,” he said.

That was apparent in his confidence, which was as lacking as his stamina.

“I was a little scattered,” he said. “Not clear in my head as to what to do.”

Everett said he was intimidated by his competitors.

“Years ago I would never think like this,” he lamented. “I wouldn’t have cared who I was racing.”