O’Brien Halfway To Gold Nothing Spectacular, But On Target

They began in the punishing heat and humidity of a Georgia morning, continued through occasional afternoon showers and ended an exhausting 13 hours later.

When the decathletes were done Wednesday, Dan O’Brien was halfway to the gold medal he never got a chance to win in Barcelona.

O’Brien won his heat in the day’s first event, the 100-meter run, and did the same thing in the last one, the 400. When he finished he punched the air, blew a kiss to the crowd, then fell to his knees to collect himself.

He left the track and headed directly to receive intravenous fluids to combat dehydration.

Heading into the second day of competition - usually O’Brien’s strongest - he was in first place with 4,592 points, 124 ahead of Frank Busemann of Germany. Erki Nool of Estonia was third with 4,457 and American Chris Huffins fourth with 4,448.

O’Brien came into this competition on a mission. He never made it to Barcelona, failing to clear any height in the pole vault during the trials. Shortly after the Olympics, he set the world record of 8,891 points.

After Wednesday, O’Brien was narrowly off the pace he set in the Olympic trials and well off the one he maintained when he set the world record, when he had 4,720 points after the first day.

He missed his personal best in each of the first five events, but his high jump of 6 feet, 9-1/2 inches matched his jump when he set the world record.

O’Brien won the fastest 400 heat in 46.83 seconds. His 100 time was 10.50.

He went 24 feet, 10 inches in the long jump and 54-4-1/2 in the shot put.

Michael Johnson and Gail Devers both wore gold accessories Wednesday night. Only one will have a chance to wear the real thing today.

Johnson, wearing gold shoes made just for the Atlanta Games, moved within two races of his historic Olympic double by advancing to the semifinals of the 200.

But Devers and her two-inch gold-painted fingernails fell short of completing her own double triumph.

Devers, the 100-meter winner, finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles.

No woman has won both races in 48 years.

“I came in here for two golds, or three golds for that matter,” said Devers, who will run on the women’s 400-meter relay this weekend. “The fact that I already have a gold doesn’t make it any better.”

Devers came excruciatingly close to pulling off the double in the 1992 Olympics, winning the 100 and leading the hurdles until she tripped over the final barrier and scrambled across the finish line in fifth place.

This time, she wasn’t even close. Ludmila Engquist of Sweden won the gold medal in 12.58 seconds, Brigita Bukovec of Slovenia won the silver and Patricia Girard-Leno of France outleaned Devers - who brushed the 10th hurdle - at the finish line for the bronze.

“My start was terrible. I never found my speed, I never got into the rhythm of my mechanics. Obviously, it was not to be,” Devers said. “But I finished fourth, better than I did in Barcelona, and I finished on my feet.”

Also Wednesday, an injury forced the great pole vaulter Sergei Bubka to withdraw before attempting a single vault.

“For me it is a great tragedy,” said Bubka, a Ukrainian who has set 35 world records - 18 indoors and 17 outdoors. “It was incredible pain, pain not only in my injury but in my heart.”

In the second round of the men’s 200, Johnson took a big lead coming off the turn, then began coasting with 80 meters remaining and won in 20.37. Johnson set a world record of 19.66 on the Olympic Stadium track in June to win the U.S. Olympic trials.

He looked so impressive that the man with the fastest qualifying time of the day, 100-meter bronze medalist Ato Boldon of Trinidad, said Johnson had the gold all but locked up.

“He’s vulnerable in the 200 if he loses a shoe,” Boldon said with a laugh after running a 20.25. “If Michael runs the race he’s supposed to run, he’ll win.’

Johnson, who won the 400 on Monday, is trying to become the first man to win the Olympic 200 and 400. The 200 final is tonight. To complete the feat, he’ll have to run eight races in seven days.

“It’s a tough transition,” Johnson said. “You have to make sure there are no mistakes, that’s the main thing.”

Joining Johnson in tonight’s semifinals were defending Olympic champion Mike Marsh and 1992 silver medalist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia, who broke Johnson’s 21-race winning streak in early July.

One challenger Johnson won’t have to face is Britain’s Linford Christie, who was eliminated in the second round. Christie’s reign as 100-meter Olympic champion ended Saturday when he was disqualified for false-starting twice in the final.

International track officials changed the Olympic timetable to give Johnson a better chance of completing the double, inserting a rest day between the 400 final and the first two rounds of the 200.

American Valerie Brisco-Hooks won the women’s 200 and 400 at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but some of her top competitors stayed home in the Soviet-led boycott. Marie-Jose Perec of France, who already has won the women’s 400, advanced in the 200 with the fastest time of the second round, 22.24.

The greatest pole vaulter in history left his second straight Olympics in disappointment. Bubka, the world-record holder and five-time world champion, withdrew with a right Achilles tendon injury.

Bubka won Olympic gold in 1988. He was the favorite in 1992, but failed to clear any jumps in the final. He also was the favorite in Atlanta.

Also failing to qualify for the pole vault final was medal favorite Okkert Brits of South Africa. He failed to clear any of his three vaults and left the field in tears. All three Americans - Lawrence Johnson, Scott Huffman and Jeff Hartwig - reached Friday’s final.

In the women’s 400 hurdles, Deon Hemmings upset two Americans - world-record holder Kim Batten and Tonja Buford-Bailey - for the first individual gold medal ever for a Jamaican woman.

Norway’s Vebjoern Rodal was a surprise winner in the men’s 800, finishing in an Olympic record of 1 minute, 42.58 seconds. Hezekiel Sepeng of South Africa won the silver medal - the first medal for a black South African - and Kenyan Fred Onyancha won bronze. American Johnny Gray led for 700 meters, but faded to seventh on the final straightaway.

Inessa Kravets of Ukraine won the women’s triple jump and Germany’s Lars Riedel won the men’s discus.

Carl Lewis’ campaign for a spot on the 400-meter relay team intensified, with a Texas lawmaker asking President Clinton to support Lewis’ bid for a record 10th gold medal.

Lewis’ quest drew scorn from relay member Jon Drummond and U.S. men’s track coach Erv Hunt stood his ground, saying Lewis remains off the squad, but he reiterated that Lewis could be added if one of the current members is injured.