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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 30, 1972)
Ryun home free in 800, Winzenried going home There are no sacred cows in the Olympic Trials. It was less than two minutes after the start of the meet when the first favorite was upset and eliminated from consideration as a potential member of the U.S. track team that Bill Bowerman will take to Munich this August. In the very first heat of the meet’s first event Mark Win zenried and Jim Ryun were supposed to have tuned up for tonight’s semifinals. Instead, Ryun found himself joined by Pacific-8 champion Rick Brown, Marcel Philippe and Ken Sparks in the semis. And Winzenried found himself on the way home after spending less than two minutes on the track in a meet he’d been building to for four years. Winzenried told the Emerald he’d be leaving Eugene “as soon as possible.” “I tore an achilles tendon two weeks ago and lost a lot of training because of it. The only running I’ve been able to do was jogging and 150 yard ac celerations. The injury didn’t hurt during the race, but the two week lay-off did. During that time I lost the edge I had been building up all year.” Winzenried was eliminated in a race that Ryun controlled all the way. The Kansas runner (now wearing the insignia of Club West) took the lead at the pole and was never headed. Win zenried kept just behind him for the first 600 meters, but when he tried to put on a kick Ryun left him in the distance. Ryun’s finishing time was l:-*8.7, Brown 1:49.1, Phillipe 1:49.3 and Sparks 1:49.3. Win zenried was eliminated with a 1:49.4 after being passed by the other three qualifiers in the stretch run. Ryun said he felt “better than I’ve ever felt.” He said his allergy was not bothering him, that he was “keeping my fingers crossed and I have a couple of things going for me—I’m doing a lot of praying and I have a good allergist.” He said he was surprised about Winzenried but that “the Trials are marvelous because as much as they’re exciting they’re also sad.” Is Young coming? No one is about to offer a reward, but the middle and long distance runners assembled in Eugene for the Olympic Trials are at least curious as to the whereabouts of one George Young. Young, a 34-year-old 3-time Olympian, was entered in three events for the trials: the 1,500 meters, the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters. He wasn’t on hand for Thursday’s 10,000 heats and many of his fellow runners are beginning to doubt whether he’ll show up at all. Young is most highly regarded in the 5,000 where he is the second fastest American ever. One man who is particularly concerned about Young’s plans is Jack Bacheler, a finalist in the 10,000 this weekend who is trying to decide whether his second event will be the 5,000 or the marathon. A missing George Young could help swing Bachelor’s thinking toward the 5,000. In the race’s second heat, Texas Southern’s Tom Fulton turned in the fastest time of the day (1:48.3) while finishing ahead of the pack, but just ahead of American record-holder Ken Swenson. Swenson had caught up to Fulton going into the stretch but then eased up to finish second in 1:48.6 after seeing that he would qualify. Fulton, who goes all out in every race, could well be the sleeper on the Olympic squad. He turned in an astounding triple at the NAIA championships in hot and high Billings, Mont. He merely won the 5000 meters there, while finishing second in the 800 and 1500. The third heat saw the tightest finish of the day. Five men (Dick Wohlhuter, Steve Straub, Ron Phillips, Tom Von Ruden and Wilbur Hawkins) were spread out side-by-side across the track coming into the final stretch. Each one looked over his shoulders to see who would fade and then the other four coasted in when early leader Hawkins fell oeni no Wohlhuter’s winning time (1:49.2) was only seven-tenths of a second ahead of Hawkins's non qualifying 1:49.9. The fourth heat saw two more highly touted middle distance runners thwarted early in their bids for membership on the Olympic squad. Veteran Art Sandison and NCAA champion Willie Thomas finished sixth and seventh in their race, running behind qualifiers Dave Wottle (1:49.8), Bob Mango (1:49.9), Tom Bach (1:50.1) and young Bob Smith (1:50.2). Also finishing ahead of Sandison and Thomas was Oregon freshman Steve Bence, the first Oregon competitor in Eugene’s version of the Trials. With the four leaders far ahead, Bence put on a move for fifth and seemed to have a lot of everything—except someplace to go—left when he crossed the finish line. While the event’s first heat began with everyone in the stands wondering about Jim Ryun’s allergies and reaction to pollen, the 800 ended for the day with another man the victim of stopped-up nasal passages. Thomas, who won the NCAA 800 meters in Hayward Field record 1:47.1 running in Eugene in early June, said it was hay g’nimiimmnin E HUTCH’S Z Bieyclt Ship z i 960 CkanuKoa I fever that kept him from the semifinals in his race. “I think I have a little hay fever,, and if I think about it, it definitely is a factor. I’m stopped up at night and my breathing is affected ” The results of yesterday's races leave 16 men still with a chance at representing the U.S. at 800 meters. That will be narrowed to eight at 7 p.m. In the first heat of the semi finals Ryun and Wottle should be favored to lead four qualifiers into the finals. But the head-to head confrontation between the two—who will both also run the 1500 meters here—should be quite interesting It might prove to be the first of many races between the two during the next ten days. And the second heat pits veterans Luzins, Swenson and Von Ruden against a field in cluding Fulton Those four should have good shots at being around when the finals begin Saturday night. But then, nothing is certain. Just ask Mark Winzenried—if he hasn't already left town. OAK STJ 7 p.m., 800 meters Four qualify for finals Heat I 1 (481) THOMAS BACH 2 ( 568) ROBERT SMITH 3 (54) MARCEL PHILIPPE 4 (479) KENNETH SPARKS 5 ( 208) JIM RYUN .U 6 ( 404) BOB MANGO *» 7 (204) GORDON BROWN 8 (114) DAVE WOTTLE Heat 2 1 (389) RONNIE PHILLIPS 2 ( 285) JURIS LUfclNS 3 ( 238) JOHN MOCK 4 ( 253) STEPHEN STRAUB 5 ( 434) THOMAS FULTON 6 (62) KEN SWENSON 7 ( 483) RICHARD WOHLHUTER 8 ( 395) TOM VON RUDEN E'uL? niiiiiWB —] PUTT PAR •ILF QIVRSE This coupon and 30C good for 18 holes of Miniature golf. 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