Aouita Is Dazzling in Mile Victory : Although Falling Short of Record Performance, He Is Impressive at 3:54.99

Such is the magnitude of Said Aouita’s brilliance, that it even shines clearly in mediocrity. Or, as was the case Friday night at the Times/Eagle Indoor Games at the Forum, it shines even in disappointment.

Aouita, who before the meet had announced his intention to break the world record at one mile, failed, but dazzled. He won the race in 3 minutes 54.99 seconds. He apologized for his performance, but few of the 10,434 fans seemed to feel cheated.

“It was a very slow race,” said Aouita, who holds the world records at 1,500, 2,000 and 5,000 meters. “I changed my race (strategy) many times.”

Two other pre-meet favorites fell short.

Rodin Gataullin of the Soviet Union, the former pole vault indoor world record holder, lost to Joe Dial. Both men cleared 18-8 1/4, but Dial won on fewer misses.

Marcus O’Sullivan lost an indoor race for the first time in two years. Doug Padilla, using a furious kick, overtook the Irishman with a lap to go and won in 7:51.33. O’Sullivan’s time was 7:51.65

Aouita and O’Sullivan were slated to meet in the mile here, but, as has happened all season, they did not race. O’Sullivan chose the 3,000 to avoid Aouita, who is still finding his indoor legs. Friday’s race was only his fourth indoor race.

Tony Young, the designated rabbit, or pacemaker, set a fast pace for 800 meters. Aouita sat back for a lap then made a break. He went at the three-quarter mark but none in the pack went with him. He later suggested he was sorry no one was there to push him.

“I am sorry for not setting the world record,” Aouita said. “When I heard 57 seconds for the first lap, I understood that we could not beat the world record. By halfway, we were far from the world record.”

Nevertheless, the meet was full of fire. The fireworks came from an unexpected quarter. The women’s 60-meter dash seemed to exist simply to allow Gwen Torrence to win. Torrence had won 49 straight races indoors coming into the final. She last lost an indoor race in 1986.

Torrence, known as a fast closer, could not hold off Dawn Sowell, a little-known sprinter from Louisiana State University.

Both runners were timed under the old American record of 7.18 held by Alice Brown. Sowell was given a time of 7.15 and Torrence was given 7.16.

Sowell appeared to out-lean Torrence at the tape. So it seemed. Neither runner knew who had won the race.

“We just looked at each other and said, ‘Did you win?,’ ” Sowell said.

As it turned out, Torrence thought she had won. Torrence contended the angle of the finish camera, which was in lane one, precluded a clear view of her. Torrence was in lane one and Sowell was in lane two.

Torrence, who was exasperated because she felt she won the race, said of the official’s decision, “I don’t feel in my heart it was right.”

Torrence and her agent, Brad Hunt, questioned officials after the race, but did not file an official protest. Hunt said a written protest would be filed Tuesday.

Sowell, 22, was nonplussed by the furor. An hour after the race, with her ownership of the American record still in some doubt, Sowell was more put off by the sudden onslaught of media attention than the possibility that her record may be taken away.

“I guess it hasn’t sunk in yet,” she said.

Sowell is a notoriously slow starter and did the same Friday night. She said that her sluggish starts have made her stronger at the end of the race.

Sowell may have benefited from some last-minute instruction from her coach. Thursday, for the first time this season, Sowell drilled on leaning at the tape.

“I guess it worked,” she said.

Long jumper Mike Powell, who apprenticed as a triple jumper under Willie Banks, tried to gain at least the crowd’s support by encouraging rhythmic clapping as he prepared to jump.

It didn’t help. Larry Myricks won, in 26-4 1/2. Powell was second in 26-1 3/4.

In the women’s high jump, Olympic gold medalist Louise Ritter redeemed herself after a dismal performance in a meet in Japan last week by winning the event at 6-4 1/4. After the other jumpers had dropped out and she had been assured of a victory, Ritter had the bar set at 6-7 1/4, one inch above Colleen Sommer’s American indoor record.

She missed her two attempts, but pronounced herself pleased with the effort.

“It was not quite as high as I wanted it, but it will do for this week,” Ritter said.

Since winning at Seoul, Ritter has complained of non-stop jetlag. She said she has not practiced in a week.

“I can’t tell you the last time I slept in my own bed,” she said.

Tonie Campbell staved off a late rush from Cletus Clark to win the men’s 60-meter hurdles. Campbell’s pedestrian time of 7.63 may reflect a lack of competition rather than a lack of fitness. Among the top hurdlers not competing were Renaldo Nehemiah, Greg Foster and Roger Kingdom.

In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Jackie Joyner-Kersee continued to succeed in an event she feels ill-suited to master. In so doing, she presented her husband/coach, Bob Kersee, with a present for his 35th birthday.

Joyner-Kersee won in 7.87, a meet record. She overcame a slow start--her bane this season--but came on to win by five meters.

“I accelerated after the second hurdle,” she said. “I’m very pleased with that.”

Joyner-Kersee is the co-world record-holder in the 55-meter hurdles, but she is still seeking to perfect her technique. On Friday, she banged her trailing right knee on the last hurdle. Last week, she strained her right hip flexor, and was alert to any twinge. Feeling none after clearing the first hurdle, she was able to sprint out the race.

Joyner-Kersee has sought a comfort zone in the hurdles, feeling too big and too clumsy among true sprinters. She’s starting to get the hang of it. She has not lost an indoor race this season.

Dennis Mitchell won the men’s 60 meters in 6.72, coming from behind to beat Brian Bridgewater, who was second in 6.74.