THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608030583
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Olympics 1996: From Atlanta
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
From Atlanta
LENGTH: 79 lines
A member of American royalty made a surprise visit to the United States 4x100 relay team Friday evening.
As they worked out at the warmup track a few minutes before heading over to Olympic Stadium, the sprinters looked up and saw . . . drum roll, please . . . the King himself . . . Carl Lewis.
``Showed up on his own,'' said Charlie Greene, coach of the U.S. 4x100 team.
Showed up in workout gear.
Why not? The C in Carl stands for chutzpah, doesn't it?
So the controvery grows. The chaos, as well. Will a member of the team be bumped so that Lewis can shoot for a record 10th Olympic gold tonight?
``I don't know. Tomorrow will tell,'' said Tim Montgomery.
Friday night, Montgomery, the Norfolk State rising junior, ran the third leg of America's winning semifinal heat. He ran the morning heat, as well.
His prospects for racing tonight? Well, that depends on Lewis.
``I want to be a part of it all the way,'' said Montgomery. ``But I came here wanting a medal. That's my dream. I'll leave here living my dream no matter what happens tomorrow.''
Montgomery had to shout to be heard over the chaos in the stadium tunnel.
``This will help my confidence for Sydney in 2000,'' he said. ``I'm gonna run the 100 and 200 in Sydney.''
Sydney will wait. For the time being, the U.S. relay team is basking in the kind of attention it would otherwise never get if Lewis weren't trying to sneak into the family picture.
Asked a couple days ago about the prospects of Lewis taking a spot on the team, sprinter Jon Drummond pointed out that Carl had ``finished butt-naked last'' in the 100 meters at the U.S. Trials.
Friday, over the din in the tunnel, Drummond sang a slightly different tune.
``I'll say this, everyone is asking great questions about what's going to happen,'' said Drummond. ``And I have the answer. . . . I'm just not saying. .
No surprise, though, has been Lewis' personal campaign. Through the media, even on the Internet, he has politicked for a spot on the team.
Caught in the crossfire is Greene, and Erv Hunt, coach of the U.S. track and field team.
``Coach Hunt and I are not receiving any pressure to put Carl Lewis on the relay team,'' Greene said.
None? Not even when Lewis shows up unannounced just before a heat?
The track brass insists that Lewis is not on the team. But when asked if that means he won't run tonight, they lower their chins and mumble something about the need to keep open their options.
It's assumed that pressure is being exerted. By the U.S. Olympic Committee, perhaps. Maybe by NBC. Certainly by Nike, which owns track and field.
The intrigue grows. America won't care about this five minutes after tonight's foot race is in the books. But for now, U.S. track and field looks ridiculous.
``I want to thank you all for turning track into such a giant thing,'' Greene said to the media. ``You've done a great job getting people to talk about our sport.''
Alluding to Tim Harden, Dennis Mitchell, Drummond and Montgomery, Greene said, ``At this time, they are the starters.'' Pause. ``A different situation can arise between now and tomorrow.''
So what about it? Will Lewis run for his 10th gold?
``I think so,'' said Montgomery. ``He was out there today. He don't come out for nothing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Carl Lewis waves to members of the U.S. men's 4x100 relay team at
the practice track Friday. Was this a signal he will run on the team
in tonight's final? ``It's going to be a big, big surprise,'' said
Jon Drummond. In Friday's semifinal heat, the U.S. team, with
Norfolk's State Tim Montgomery running the third leg, posted the
fastest time in the world this year. Drummond, Tim Harden,
Montgomery and Dennis Mitchell finished in 37.96 seconds.
KEYWORDS: OLYMPICS 1996 by CNB