Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 1972)
photo by Matt MLCorm.U Pre leads his heat FASTEST FILM PROCESSING IN EUGENE Sameday Service on Ektachrome 'n by a.m. Super 8 out |jy 5.3Q p m Ektachrome Slides EVERGREEN FILM SERVICE 1658 Willamette 686-2138 THE BOOK FAIR INTERESTING USED BOOKS TEXTS MGS RECORDS 45 W. 7th Closed Sunday & Monday Young, Pre qualify for 5,000 showdown By PAUI. BIKER Of the Emerald George Young says he arrived in town on the Fourth of July. But a nervous Steve Prefon taine and 12,500 expectant fans at Hayward Field couldn't be certain the veteran distance runner would show until he lined up for his opening race in the 5,000 meters Thursday. Originally, Pre had been matched against Young in the first heat of the day. Then the heats were scrambled twice, and when it was all over, both had qualified in different races. Prefontaine jockeyed with the pack for awhile in the first one fs>, Beverly Gentle, Owner ’ rOur Location & Experience are Ideal| [for the Girl on the Go, Shoppers, Hotel & Motel Guests ' *S7 i 345 6512 . OAK ST. WHERE THEY ALL GO BEFORE AND AFTER THE MEET Just, minutes from campus On the banks of Willamette River And there s acres of free parking ^^4006 Franklin Blvd., towards Springfield 746-4415 then burst by the crowd to qualify in a breeze. Oregon's American and collegiate record holder at this distance seized the lead for good at the end of nine laps and coasted home in 13:51.2. Young, the mystery man from Casa Grande, Arizona who is little less than legend among American distance runners, had a much more casual workout. He ran dead last through nine turns around Stevenson Track while Rick Hitchcock and Leonard Hilton idled through 70 second quarters. Then he picked it up briefly before jogging home in fifth place, running 14:11.6. The heat overall was so slow that the top eight all finished over 14 minutes. By comparison, the first race saw the top six run in the 13:50s, with Tracy Smith chasing Pre to the finish in 13:52.8 and Gerry Lindgren running a 13:53.6 for third. After it was all over, Prefon taine, a senior-to-be at Oregon, gave signs for the first time that the Olympic Trials did indeed bring tremendous pressure. He appeared relieved to be past the first hurdle. “When you’ve rested for four or five days, the thought always comes: are you ready? Are you in shape?” With that question answered, he could look to the final—the Olympic Trials final event. Pre has talked all year of finally getting to face Young head-on; the man he has called "America’s greatest distance runner ever,” the man who has been ih the Olympic games no less than three times. In 1968, at Mexico City, Young won a bronze medal in the steeplechase and finished 16th in the marathon. Obviously walking a mental tightrope in anticipation of Sunday’s final, Pre wouldn’t talk about the race. “It's not that I don’t like to talk. It's just that I’m very nervous.” While Pre quickly got the post race chatter over with, some of the other qualifiers were much looser. Buoyant little Gerry Lindgren, who tailed Prefontaine and qualified third at the finish, tad other things on his mind Shirti. for one. “I'm trying to get ahold oft ‘Go Pre' T-shirt,” he said. “It's just about the neatest thing I’ve seen here.” Tracy Smith, an Olympian it 1968 in the 10,000 and a La Angeles police officer ran t strong second in Pre's heat and had some predictions to offer for the final "I think it will take 13:20 t« make the team" (the world record is 13:16.6, the America! record is 13:29.8). "I'm not ready for a world record, but I think I’m ready for 13:20." II was Smith, a 1067 graduated Oregon State, who did most of tin spurting in his heat. “I want the pace to be hard, because my main asset il strength," he said. “I want it to be in the 8:40s or high 8:30s to burn off the kickers. In the second race, whilt Young was content to finish fifth. Terry Harrison was winninj eventually with a 14:06.2 Otte qualifiers were Hilton, of Houston Spike Club, Jim John son . who failed to qualify lad week in the steeplechase, and Glen Herold. Greg Fredericks, the puzzlinj youth who one week ran a n» American record 10,000 niefert, then folded here in the saw event, was the sixth and last man to make the final. In the first race it was Smith Lindgren, Dick Buerkle, Clift Clark, and Sid Sink joining tl* finals' field. Sink, the American record holder in the steeplechase, d another man fighting to maketl* team after an earlier blowout. "I'd have rather been in heat than the second one," h admitted. “It seems it would make you sharper—runninf faster.” With more than 14,000 expected for the final day, all itching to see the long-awaited moment of truth for Prefontaine, one couldn't a* for a more dramatic finish.
