THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606150445
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: 73 lines
As they did in 1992, the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials dealt crushing disappointment to Virginia Beach sprinter Andre Cason on Friday.
Four years after he tore his Achilles' tendon in the New Orleans trials, Cason, seemingly running relaxed and strong, pulled up lame over the final 25 meters of his 100-meter quarterfinal heat at Atlanta's Olympic Stadium.
Cason, 27, had run 10.07 a few hours earlier, the third-fastest time in the first round. In the quarterfinals, Cason was near the front of his heat and appeared a lock to finish in the top five and reach today's semifinals.
But Cason was struck down by what later was diagnosed as a severe cramp in his right hamstring. Grimacing, he continued on and staggered to the finish line, coming in last.
In the tunnel just off the track, a distraught Cason, a Green Run High School graduate who has been a top international sprinter for years, screamed out as his coach, Norfolk State's Steve Riddick, helped him to the medical area for treatment.
Cason emerged about 45 minutes later, with his wife Charisse by his side and holding his two young children in his arms. He was composed as he discussed his second foiled attempt to become a U.S. Olympian.
``If anything could be described as a freak accident, I guess this is it, because I had no clue that something like this was gonna happen,'' said Cason, who did not compete last year because of hamstring trouble that he believed to be past.
``In '92 I had a sore Achilles. This year, I didn't have a sore hamstring. second round was gonna be easier. I knew I was gonna run under 10 seconds. That was no problem.''
Cason's misfortune darkened what otherwise was a strong first day of the trials for representatives of South Hampton Roads. Pole vaulter Lawrence Johnson of Chesapeake and the University of Tennessee, the national record holder, breezed into Sunday's finals, easily clearing 18 feet, 4 1/2 inches to qualify.
Tonya Williams of Norfolk, the two-time NCAA 400-meter hurdles champion for the University of Illinois, won her first-round heat in 55.86, the third-fastest time of the day, to reach tonight's semifinals.
And the 100-meter semifinals today will feature Norfolk State's Brian Lewis and Tim Montgomery.
Virginia Beach's Randall Evans, however, ran in the same quarterfinal in which Cason was injured but failed to qualify for the semifinals.
Johnson, who vaulted only twice, spent most of a leisurely afternoon sitting beside the pole vault area in his sweat suit, shading himself from the sun with an umbrella.
``I wanted to use the qualifying just to get used to the track and see the conditions we may face in the finals,'' Johnson said. ``I wanted to come out and take a couple of easy jumps. It went well.''
Predictably, in the women's 400-meter hurdles, the best first-round times were turned in by the veteran favorites in a strong field. World-record holder Kim Batten ran 55.33, Tonja Buford-Bailey ran 55.80 and Sandra Farmer-Patrick ran 55.86, which Williams matched.
``I have no worries on my shoulders,'' said Williams, 21, who regularly trains with Buford-Bailey, her former Illinois teammate. ``I'm just a baby coming up, the big dogs have to worry about (the pressure). . . .I've done and won my nationals, and I feel good about that. That's not to say I'm not gonna run here, because I am. It's just that I can go in a little bit less uptight.''
Williams and the sprinters run today, and Cason said he'd have no difficulty returning to watch the 100 semis and final.
``I'm not one to question God,'' Cason said. ``I took my 15 minutes just a minute ago; I cried, I thought about it. This is just a minor setback. I know He has better things in store for me. It may not be the '96 Olympics in Atlanta. But there are bigger and better things in store.'' ILLUSTRATION: FROM THE AREA
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.] by CNB