One Down, One To Go Johnson Wins The 400 Meters In Second-Fastest Time Ever; He Shoots For The 200 Today

Michael Johnson is halfway home, with his goal of an unprecedented 400-200 double within reach at the World Championships.

Johnson, with a powerful move in the last 140 meters, ran away from the competition in winning the 400 meters on Wednesday in 43.39 seconds, the second-fastest time in history.

“I have to admit that I wanted to break the world record,” said Johnson, who goes after the 200-meter title beginning today. “But I’m very pleased with my time. I think I’ll eventually break it.”

Butch Reynolds, who finished second at 44.22 - nearly 8 meters behind, holds the world record of 43.29 set in 1988. Johnson gets another chance for the 400-meter record next Wednesday at Zurich, Switzerland, where he’ll only have to run a final instead of three qualifying rounds and a final like he did here.

Darnell Hall, who finished sixth, predicted Johnson will set the record in Zurich.

“Michael can break the record any hour, any day, any time,” Hall said. “In Zurich that record will fall.”

It was Johnson’s second consecutive 400 world title, and he went under 44 seconds for a record eighth time. His effort dominated the competition on the fifth day of the championships.

John Godina, also attempting an unprecedented double, became the first American to win the shot put at the championships with a throw of 70 feet, 5-1/4 inches). He also qualified for Friday’s 12-man discus final.

In other finals, Fernanda Ribeiro of Portugal outkicked Olympic champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia and won the 10,000 in 31:04.99, the fastest in the world this year, and Algerian Hassiba Boulmerka, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, took the women’s 1,500 in 4:02.42.

Meanwhile, two of the favorites in the women’s heptathlon, Heike Drechsler and Sabine Braun, both of Germany, withdrew because of injuries sustained in the high jump. The leader after the first four events was Svetlana Moskalets of Russia with 3,941 points.

Ukraine’s Sergei Bubka, the only athlete to win four individual golds in the same event in the first four championships and the world record-holder, qualified for Friday’s pole vault final.

But it was still Johnson who dominated.

Reynolds, runner-up despite his best time of the year, also was impressed with Johnson’s effort.

Asked if Johnson was unbeatable, Reynolds replied, “Without a doubt.”

“I’m lucky I still have the world record,” he added.

Johnson was a little disappointed that he had come so close to the record without breaking it.

“When you’re running that hard and know you can get the record, then look up at the clock and see 43.39, you’d almost rather see 43.7 or 43.8,” Johnson said. “You think if I had run the first 150 meters just a little harder, or run the middle 150 a little faster, or run harder down the stretch, I could have gotten it.

“It excites me to do what no man has ever done.”

What no man ever has done is win both the 200 and 400 at a World Championships or an Olympics, and that is Johnson’s goal this week. The first two rounds of the 200 are Thursday, with the semis and finals on Friday. He won the 200 in 1991.

If he wins both, it would strengthen his case with the International Amateur Athletic Federation to rearrange the track schedule for the 1996 Olympics in order to give him an opportunity to sweep the two.

At present, there is a conflict between both events. Johnson, who has been campaigning strongly for a schedule change, has insisted that he won’t attempt a double at the Atlanta Games if the two events are not separated.

“My objective when I came here was to win two gold medals,” Johnson said. “The fire is still burning. It gives me a lot more incentive to win the 200 after I didn’t get the record. Maybe I’ll get it in the 200.”

The 200 record of 19.72 by Pietro Mennea of Italy in 1979 is the oldest on record. Johnson’s best is 19.79, and he is unbeaten in 13 straight 200 finals.

In the 400, he went in confident and controlled the race like an overwhelming favorite should.

“I felt like the only way I was going to lose the race was if I didn’t do what I was supposed to do,” said Johnson, who won his 46th consecutive final in the 400. “I didn’t worry about the other runners. That way I could control my own destiny. I just feel very confident.”

Reynolds said he couldn’t believe Johnson’s decisive move.

“When he passed me, he put 5 meters on me so quick,” Reynolds said. “I said, ‘How did he get by me so fast?’ I tried to keep my stride pattern and think that he would come back to me.

“He doesn’t come back. Michael is the greatest now. I’m still the greatest of all time.”

For now, anyway.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WORLD TRACK AT A GLANCE A glance at Wednesday, the sixth day of the World Championships: Winners: Michael Johnson of the U.S. came within a tenth of a second of the world record in the 400 as he won the first half of his attempted 200-400 double. Portugal’s Fernanda Ribeiro won the 10,000 meters, beating Olympic champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia. Hassiba Boulmerka of Algeria regained her crown in the women’s 1,500 and American John Godina won the men’s shot put. Losers: Germany had two heptathletes drop out. Sabine Braun, the 1991 World Champion, injured her hand in the high jump, and Heike Dreschsler, who had the season’s best score in 1994, spiked her foot in the same event. A look ahead: Finals today are men’s 400 hurdles and 50-kilometer walk and women’s 200, triple jump and heptathlon finish.