THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996 TAG: 9605200157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
During the Summer Games in Atlanta, track athletes will be living in the fast lane.
At Olympic Stadium, you see, every lane is fast, very fast.
This is what we learned from Saturday's Atlanta Grand Prix.
At a dress rehearsal for the Olympics, 200-meter champion Michael Johnson, 100-meter gazelle Gwen Torrence and 400-meter maestro Butch Reynolds turned in the fastest times in the world this year.
Meanwhile, in the men's 100, Carl Lewis, at 35, broke the 10-second barrier for the first time since 1991.
It must be the track. The track is making everyone faster.
After winning his 19th consecutive race at 200 meters, Johnson said as much. He raved about the orange, synthetic surface. It was very firm, yet extremely well cushioned, he said.
Expect Olympic records to fall this summer.
My own hands-on experience with the track came a few weeks ago, on a tour of Olympic Stadium. I reached down and pressed on the surface. My thumb sunk about a quarter of an inch into the track.
If only the streets and sidewalks of America were made of this stuff. Joggers never again would need ibuprofen.
The day I was there, ah, testing the track, the 85,000 seats were empty. Saturday, the stadium was half full. Olympic organizers gave away 40,000 tickets and drew a crowd of 43,328 to the stadium dedication.
The size of the audience does not disappoint anyone who understands the limited appeal of track and field.
Not unlike some other sports - swimming, for example - at most track meets the participants and spectators are mainly the same people.
It would probably astound American sports fans to learn that Michael Johnson is a superstar in Europe, where track and field is front-page news.
Mention the name Michael Johnson to Americans and they'll say, ``You mean Michael Jordan, don't you?'' Or, ``Are you talking about Michael Jackson?''
Johnson is the premier attraction in his sport in places where people speak French, German, Norwegian and Russian. In America, he is about as famous as a middle reliever.
For two weeks every four years, the perception changes. People who would rather watch paint dry than a track meet will follow the Olympic exploits of the runners and jumpers because the Olympics are special and track plays a large, starring role in the production.
Most of the international stars on hand at Olympic Stadium Saturday will be back in July. Then - with the media's help - these vaguely recognizable figures will become sparkling personalities and riveting human interest stories.
Their times and distances still won't mean anything to most of us, but the stage on which they perform will.
But while tickets for the Olympic track meet are in great demand, the action will look better on TV than in person.
Whether at a star-studded invitational or a high-school meet, track and field is a multi-ring circus that defies the patience and concentration of a spectator.
Television is adept at packaging the events. It breaks away during the maddening delays to serve up a McTrack meet.
America hasn't even been properly introduced to the athletes who will be pursuing one another inside Olympic Stadium. But for a few days this summer, millions of people gladly will cut to the chase. by CNB