Doehring Sets 1989 World Best in the Shotput

Nearly eight years ago, shotputter Jim Doehring was down on his luck. He had broken his back in a motorcycle accident and was told by doctors that he might never walk again.

Just before the accident, he was in peak form. Three weeks earlier, as a sophomore at Saddleback College, he won the national junior college shotput title.

Using Doehring’s performance Sunday in the UC Irvine Invitational as an indicator, he has returned to top form.

Doehring, 27, an Olympian in 1988, won the shotput Sunday with the best outdoor mark in the world this year. He won with a toss of 69-feet 11 3/4-inches to break his own stadium record of 69-0 3/4 in 1988 and set a meet record. Ada Olukoju of Azusa Pacific held the old meet record of 58-11 1/4 set last year.

Last week the former San Clemente High athlete won his event at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays with a distance of 68-0 3/4.

Doehring’s return to track followed nearly two years of rehabilitation, during which time he lost 55 pounds.

“They (doctors) said I was lucky to get my legs back,” said Doehring, who attended San Jose State. “They did five operations (fused vertebrae) just like mine and I was the only one who got the use of my legs back.”

Doehring didn’t qualify for the 1984 Olympics, but in 1988 he had a best throw of 69-0 1/2 and qualified for the Olympic team. In Seoul, he finished 11th.

“I learned from it (the Seoul experience),” Doehring said. “It takes a while to get used to a new country. And I got out of my routine and couldn’t train right. Next time, I’ll come in a week before so I don’t lose so much.”

Nine meet records and two stadium records were set at UC Irvine. The other stadium record was set by former Arizona State middle distance runner Treg Scott in the 1,500 meters. Scott, who was running his first race of the year, finished at 3 minutes 44.18 seconds to beat Steve Scott’s 3:44.6 set in 1976.

The only invitational win by UC Irvine was by senior Pete Vicencio, who won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:16.17.

Senior Jeff Williams of Irvine approached the national National Collegiate Athetic Assn. Division I qualifying mark in the pole vault (17-6 1/4) by winning the open competition at 17-0.

Cal State Fullerton’s Jesse Henderson won the open triple jump with a mark of 47-4 1/2.