When one of the qualifiers in the preliminary round of the shot put in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials was identified as Eric Barnes, some people were convinced that it had to be world-record holder Randy Barnes.
It was a case of same guy, different name.Somehow, organizers identified Randy Barnes in the results computer as Eric Barnes. No explanation was offered and the misidentification continued in the start list for Saturday night's finals. It was supposed to be corrected before Saturday night's final but never was.
When Barnes, Randy, not Eric, won the event with a throw of 70 feet, 11/2 inches, well below his world record of 75-101/4. he was still identified as Eric by the results service.
JOHNSON'S QUEST: Michael Johnson, who plans to attempt an unprecedented Olympic double in the 200- and 400-meter races, is considered one of the superstars of the sport. He doesn't own the fastest times in either event, though.
Johnson's best in the 200 is 19.79 seconds, .07 slower than Pietro Mennea's world record. And his best in the 400 is 43.39, a tenth slower than Butch Reynolds' world record.
Johnson and Reynolds both advanced to the quarterfinals in separate 400 heats Saturday night.
OLD HABIT: Michael Marsh, troubled by a bad leg before the trials, tried to allay fears about his condition after his first two heats in the 100.
"I'm fine," he said. "I'm 100 percent healthy. My leg's not bothering me. I'm basically a healthy athlete."
Then why did he look at his leg during the race?
"Did I do that?" he said. "I didn't realize it. Must have been out of habit."
WATCH THE PHONES: As usual at Olympic venues, there is plenty of security on hand for the track and field trials. Not enough, though, to protect press communications.
Writers were advised to take their telephones with them when they leave the press area because a number of phones have disappeared from their locations. They were also advised that they would be responsible for paying for any lost instruments.
HELP FOR SALE: Results for field events at the trials were produced in meters, a standard practice in this sport. For writers wrestling with the metric system, a helpful vendor came through, offering conversion books that would translate the numbers to feet and inches.
The help came with a price tag attached - $10 apiece.