HE HAS DOUBLE-DISCIPLINE DRIVE : FORMER BRUIN HAS SURPRISED HIMSELF, OTHERS.

Byline: Danny Schumacher Daily News Staff Writer

John Godina came to UCLA five years ago from Cheyenne, Wyo.

That's a move - with Southern California's jammed freeways and with people everywhere - that could drive someone nuts.

Not Godina.

``I was kind of stuck on campus,'' Godina said. ``I didn't have a car for two years, so I really didn't have to make an adjustment.''

He doesn't have any problems getting around now because after winning the shot put at last year's World Championships in Goteborg, Sweden, Godina has a new Mercedes Benz.

And after becoming the first American to qualify for the Olympic Games in both the shot put and discus since USC's Bud Howser in 1924, Godina will be a man on the move for the next few months.

First it's off to Atlanta and then to Europe, the only place where American track and field athletes can earn a living in their sport.

But there is more to Godina than shiny cars, medals and career earnings.

As intense as most throwers during competition but soft-spoken away from the track, Godina loves his sport and wants to compete for a long time.

And even though he never envisioned himself accomplishing the feats he has over the past three years - including the world title, five NCAA titles and a collegiate record of 72 feet, 2-1/4 inches in the shot put - he now wants to strive for goals others have thought impossible.

Foremost is becoming one of the best in the world in both throws. The discus, even though it was the first event he tried as a fifth-grader, has always been overshadowed by his feats in the shot.

The first big step was qualifying for the Games in both events.

``It's always good to do things others said can't be done,'' Godina said. ``(Doubling in the shot and discus) is more difficult than most people think. It's just a matter of when you work on one event you better get it right. You can't go back because you have to work on the other event.''

He has worked hard, adding 20 pounds of muscle since high school with work in the weight room while also improving his technique in both events.

Godina was an excellent thrower right from the start. He first started throwing the discus in fifth grade when his father Bill, a former thrower, brought one home one afternoon.

He enthusiastically took to the event, but it wasn't until his 10th- grade year at Central High School that he took up the shot put. For Central, he went on to win five Wyoming state titles - three in the discus and two in the shot put.

And with the support of his father, his mother Oma, his sister Sandy and the guidance of UCLA throwing coach Art Venegas, Godina has blossomed as a thrower since those early high school days.

He has improved steadily from 58-3 as a freshman at UCLA to his current status as the latest member of the 70-foot club. Changing from the glide technique of throwing to the spin was essential in his development, and Godina now ranks No. 5 all-time in the United States in the shot put.

``I didn't think anybody could throw that far,'' Godina said. ``It's nice to surpass what I thought I could do.''

PROFILE Age:24

Hometown:Cheyenne, Wyo.

Fast fact:Won the shot put at last year's World Championships despite hyperextending his elbow during warmups.

When to Watch Shot put: July 26, qualifying, 7 a.m., finals 5 p.m.

Discus: July 29, qualifying, 6:30 a.m. and 8:10 a.m.; July 31, finals, 4:30

DISCUS, SHOT PUT UCLA graduate Jonathan Ogden, the first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, isn't the first national-caliber shot putter to make the NFL. Michael Carter, the former 49ers nose tackle, came out of Southern Methodist to win the silver medal in the shot for the United States in the 1984 Olympics. Six months later Carter, who once held the national high school shot put record, won a Super Bowl.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, 3 Boxes

Photo: (1) John Godina, who won five NCAA title s while at UCLA, is the first American man in 72 years to qualify for the Olympics in both the discus and shot put. He enjoys diversity.

New York Times

(2) John Godina

(3-4) THROUGH THE YEARS

1983: Tries the discus for the first time as a fifth-grader when his father Bill, a former thrower, brings one home.

1987: Competes in the shot put for the first time as a high school sophomore.

1990: As a senior at Central High School in Cheyenne, Wyo., he wins state titles in the shot put and discus.

1994: As a UCLA junior, Godina wins the NCAA indoor shot put title.

1995: Wins the shot put at the World Championships in Goteborg, Sweden, and wins his fourth and fifth NCAA titles, including a collegiate record of 72-2-1/4 in the shot put.

1996: Qualifies for the Olympics in both the shot put and discus, becoming the first American to do so since USC's Bud Howser in 1924.

Box: (1) Profile (see text)

(2) When to Watch (see text)

(3) DISCUS, SHOT PUT (see text)