THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996              TAG: 9608010394
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: TOM ROBINSON
                                            LENGTH:   45 lines

NSU'S MONTGOMERY HAS A SHOT AT GOLD THAT LEWIS COVETS

Carl Lewis has nine Olympic gold medals, but he badly wants something Norfolk State's Tim Montgomery already has - a shot at gold with the U.S. 400-meter relay team.

U.S. coach Erv Hunt named the Spartans sprinter to run in Friday's first round of the 400-meter relay. Montgomery will replace Michael Marsh, who will rest after running four heats of the 200 meters Wednesday and today.

Marsh will run in the relay semifinals and final, however, but Montgomery, 21, will receive any medal the team wins.

Montgomery placed seventh in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials to earn consideration for the relay team. He will run the third leg Friday. Jon Drummond will lead off, Leroy Burrell will run second and Montgomery will hand the baton to anchor Dennis Mitchell.

Lewis interjected himself into the relay picture after he won the long jump Monday night. The anchor of gold-medal winning teams in '84 and '92, Lewis said, ``I've expressed all along that I'd love to run the relay. I'm in pretty good shape. You don't think I'd love to run in front of this crowd again?''

Lewis finished last in the 100 at the Trials and declined an invitation to practice with the relay team in July in Chapel Hill, N.C., saying he wanted to run anchor or nothing.

``Nothing has changed,'' Hunt said. ``Basically, Carl has been good about the fact that he would be available for us if needed and we appreciate that. I would give Carl Lewis strong consideration even though he didn't show up for practice and hasn't been a very good team member.''

Mitchell, the current anchor, was succinct.

``To put Carl on, you've got to take somebody off,'' Mitchell said. ``And that's not cool, man.''

Montgomery, who could not be reached for comment, is a rising junior at Norfolk State. A South Carolinian, Montgomery completed his first year at the school in the spring after transferring from Blinn Junior College in Texas when Blinn dropped its track program.

Also Wednesday, former Norfolk State sprinter Chandra Sturrup, running for the Bahamas, breezed into today's semifinals of the women's 200 meters.

Sturrup finished second in both of her heats, running a best time of 22.63, to make the field of 16.

Last Saturday, Sturrup finished fourth in the 100 meters.

KEYWORDS: OLYMPIC GAMES 1996 ATLANTA by CNB