Who needs Carl Lewis?
The American 4x100 relay team showed that emphatically Saturday as Jon Drummond, Andre Cason, Dennis Mitchell and Leroy Burrell matched the world record of 37.40 seconds during a semifinal heat at the World Championships.It was a stunning performance, considering it was the first time the relay record ever had been broken or tied other than in a final. And it was done without Lewis, who had run anchor on the six teams - either representing the United States or his Santa Monica Track Club - that had matched or bettered the record in the past 10 years.
"We don't need Carl Lewis on the end of a 400-meter relay team to run a world record - and we just proved it," said Cason, who ran a sensational second leg. "This is a dream relay team."
"I can't believe they're going to make us run again tomorrow (Sunday in the final)," the histrionic Drummond said. "We had no intention of going out and breaking the record."
The record-equalling performance by the U.S. relay team and the Americans' verbal jousting with the British team over sprinting supremacy carried more impact than Saturday's six finals, including a world record.
Russia's Ana Biryukova destroyed the record in the women's triple jump, soaring 49 feet, 6 1/4 inches, surpassing the mark of 49-1 1/2 set by teammate Yolanda Chen this year.
In other women's finals, Junxia Wang led a 1-2 Chinese finish in the rough-and-tumble 10,000 meters, winning in 30:49.30, a world junior record and the fastest in the world in 1993, and Cubans finished 1-2 in the high jump, with Ioamnet Quintero winning at 6-6 1/4, then dedicating her victory to Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
In the men's finals, Switzerland's Wernor Gunthor won his third straight world shot put title, throwing 72-1, the farthest in the world this year; Kenyans Moses Kiptanui and Patrick Sang were 1-2 for the second straight championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with Kiptanui timed in 8:06.36, the year's fastest, and Spain's Jesus Garcia took the 50-kilometer (31.2-mile) walk in 3:41:41, also the year's best time.
After the relay race, Drummond put on a show for the capacity crowd of 52,200 at Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium who had cheered wildly for the co-record holders. He fell to the ground in a mock faint, staggered around like a drunk and jokingly gestured to the fans.
When he and his teammates ran, however, they were all business.
Especially Burrell.
As the new anchor man, he had the responsibility of bringing home the baton, the job usually reserved for Lewis.
"Carl came to my room last night and he said it's the first time in his international experience that he hadn't anchored the USA 4x100," Burrell said. "He told me if he had to hand the stick off to anybody, he was glad it was me.
"I feel like I have to own up to that because Carl's been a keystone in track and field in the U.S.
"He's given me a great deal of responsibility."
While the U.S. team was flying on the track, Lewis was flying in the air - on his way home to Houston after having finished third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 100.
The Americans' sizzling show sent a strong message to the British team, which had been claiming sprint supremacy after Linford Christie won the 100 and John Regis was runner-up in the 200, ahead of Olympic gold medalist Mike Marsh and Lewis. '
Asked if he was worried about the Brits in the final, Burrell said, "No concern whatsoever."
Drummond had the same feeling.
"Tell them to bring a tank because there will be a fight all night," he said. "We made a statement out there."
Christie wasn't convinced.
"The talking is done tomorrow," he said with a sneer. "I thought I was running a semifinal. I didn't realize I was running a final."
The Brits ran a team of Jason John, Tony Jarrett, Darren Braithwaite and Christie. John and Braithwaite probably will be replaced by Colin Jackson and Regis for the final, giving the Brits a "dream medal team."
In addition to Christie's gold in these championships, Jackson set the world record in the 110-meter hurdles, while Jarrett and Regis won silver medals.
"It was their team for the final out there tonight," Christie said. "We've got ours saved for tomorrow."
The day's biggest controversy came in the combative 10,000 meters.
Kenya's Selina Barsosio, the third-place finisher, was originally listed as disqualified and stripped of the bronze medal. However, officials said it was a clerical mixup and there was no disqualification.
But Barsosio still was disturbed by the roughness of the race.
"The American (Lynn Jennings) hit me and the Chinese were pushing from both sides," Barsosio said.
"There was a lot of jostling," said Jennings, who finished fifth. "One of the Kenyans was real physical.
"It was a very physical race. It was much more of a roller derby 10K than I have ever been in before."
South African Elana Meyer, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, was so upset with the physical contact that she dropped out of the race after 4,200 meters.
"Obviously it was not the right decision to give up, but I've been pushed each lap," Meyer said. "It was terrible."
The U.S. team appeared on its way toward a possible sweep in all four relays, as all four American teams won their semifinal heats.
The Americans, leading the medal standings with 22, including 10 golds, got only two medals Saturday as world record-holder Rany Barnes finished second in the shot put at 71-61/4 and Olympic gold medalist Mike Stulce was third at 68-81/2.
The championships were rocked with another drug case - the third - as Romas Ubartas of Lithuania, the fourth-place finisher in the men's discus and the 1992 Olympic gold medalist and 1988 silver medalist, was suspended for four years after testing positive for the anobolic steroid boldenone.