Qualifiers’ Names Need Qualifying

ATLANTA —  Quincy Watts ran while wearing his credential around his neck in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Saturday. He didn’t have to because, as the 1992 gold medalist in the 400 meters, he is known by everyone in the sport. But on Sunday at the Centennial Olympic Stadium, many of the athletes who came to the forefront should have carried some sort of identification besides the numbers on their shirts.

Of the four finals on the third day of the trials, the only one that went true to form before 13,689 was the women’s 400-meter intermediate hurdles. The world champion and world-record holder, Kim Batten, won in 53.81 seconds, followed by Tonja Buford-Bailey, second in the World Championships last summer, in 53.92 and 1992 Olympic silver-medalist Sandra Farmer-Patrick in 54.07.

But some of the other athletes who made the U.S. team that will compete in the July 19-Aug. 4 Summer Olympics require some introductions. If names such as Calvin Davis and Breaux Greer do not register, don’t feel bad. Even the experts at Track & Field News were puzzled over them.

Compared to those athletes, the winner of Sunday’s pole vault competition, Lawrence Johnson, is practically a star. By any standard, he probably will be in the near future.

The University of Tennessee senior, who recently won his second consecutive NCAA title, is the American-record holder at 19 feet 7 1/2 inches and, despite his inexperience, was considered by some the favorite here.

He came through, winning at 19- 1/4 before missing three attempts at 19-4 1/4. The runner- up, Jeff Hartwig, also cleared 19- 1/4, but Johnson had fewer misses. Third place with a clearance of 18-8 1/4 went to the previous American-record holder, Scott Huffman, who was as surprised as anyone that he earned a berth on the team considering his injury problems this year.

Johnson’s victory has some historical significance because he will be the first African American to represent the United States in the pole vault in the Olympics.

Information was not immediately available about whether Todd Riech was the first Native American winner in the javelin throw, but the former NCAA champion from Fresno State answered questions about it anyway after upsetting runner-up Tom Pukstys. Riech threw 268-7 to Pukstys’ 267-8.

One-quarter Flathead Kootenai, Riech spent 18 years on a reservation in Montana. Some of his inspiration to become an athlete came from negatives of pictures owned by his grandfather that were taken when Jim Thorpe visited the reservation.

The third-place finisher in the javelin, Greer, is less than two years out of high school in Monroe, La., barely qualified to get here and didn’t figure to even make the finals. With a best Sunday of 262-5, he earned a berth on the team but he still needs a throw far enough to qualify for the Olympics.

But at least the event isn’t brand new to him, like it is to Davis. In only the sixth 400-meter intermediate hurdles race of his life, he finished third behind former NCAA champion Bryan Bronson of Rice and world champion Derrick Adkins.

“Right now, I’m the ugly duckling out there as far as my hurdling skills go,” said Davis, who finished in 48.32. Bronson ran 47.98, Adkins 48.18.

There were no real surprises in the qualifying in other events Sunday, unless it is considered one that Obea Moore, a high school junior from Pasadena, moved into today’s semifinals in the 400 with a time of 45.43.

He benefited from a fast heat, in which three runners, including Watts, ran under 45 seconds. In another heat, Michael Johnson finished second for the second consecutive day. But he is running easily in anticipation of today’s semifinals and Wednesday’s final, followed by the 200 meters later in the week.

An athlete with a somewhat lower profile, John Godina, is also trying to make the team in two events. He did in the shotput Saturday, finishing second to Randy Barnes, and qualified Sunday for today’s discus throw final.