DATE: Sunday, March 2, 1997                 TAG: 9703020230

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C8   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS 

DATELINE: ATLANTA                           LENGTH:   51 lines

SLANEY CLAIMS U.S. INDOOR TITLE WITH GREAT 1,500 WORLD TEAM BERTHS GO TO LOCAL VAULTER JOHNSON, SPRINTERS EVANS, MONTGOMERY

Mary Slaney, queen of American distance running, made her first appearance in 23 years in the U.S. Indoor Championships on Saturday a display reminiscent of when she won two world outdoor titles in 1983.

Running injury free and confident for the first time in years, Slaney won the women's 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 3.08 seconds, fastest in the world since Doina Melinte of Romania set the world record of 4:00.27 in 1990.

A pair of local athletes also won events with impressive efforts.

Pole vaulter Lawrence Johnson, a '96 Olympian from Chesapeake and the American record holder, cleared 19 feet, 2 1/4-inches for his victory. It was the best indoor vault by an American in 10 years.

In the 60 meters, Virginia Beach's Randall Evans clocked 6.49 to equal the fastest time in the world this year. Evans edged Norfolk State's Tim Montgomery, also a '96 Olympian, who ran 6.51 to finish second.

By placing first or second, Johnson, Evans and Montgomery qualified to compete for the United States in next weekend's World Indoor Championships in Paris.

Norfolk State's Brian Lewis placed fifth in the 60 and fourth in the 200, while Tonya Williams of Norfolk ran sixth in the women's 60-meter hurdles.

In the meet's biggest showdown, two-time Olympic 100-meter champion Gail Devers beat Olympic bronze medalist Gwen Torrence by about two meters in the 60 meters in 7.00.

Devers was one of two Olympic gold medalists to win Saturday. The other was Charles Austin, who defended his high jump title with a leap of 7 feet, 7 inches.

Allen Johnson, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles, didn't get past the trials in the 60-meter hurdles, injuring his left hamstring while going over the third hurdle.

Randy Barnes, the Olympic gold medalist and the world indoor and outdoor record-holder in the shot put, finished fourth, as Olympic silver medlist John Godina won at 67-8 3-4..

Another Olympic gold medalist, triple jumper Kenny Harrison, was a late withdrawal, without explanation.

But Slaney, 38, was the major story.

The American indoor record-holder at 800 meters, 880 yards, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and the mile, Slaney bolted to the front and never was seriously challenged as she beat runner-up Suzy Hamilton by about 40 meters. ILLUSTRATION: [Photo]

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chesapeake's Lawrence Johnson celebrates his winning pole vault at

the U.S. Indoor Championships.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu