JOHNSON SETS THE STANDARD; SPRINTER BREAKS 11-YEAR-OLD 400 MARK.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

Michael Johnson made a statement in the 400 meters and to his critics in the World Track and Field Championships Thursday night, setting a world record of 43.18 seconds en route to his fourth world title.

Johnson smashed the previous record of 43.29 set by Butch Reynolds in 1988 in Zurich. It was a mark the 31-year-old Texan had been chasing for the past four years after coming agonizingly close at 43.39 in 1995.

``It's been a long time in coming,'' said Johnson, who holds eight of the top 10 marks of all-time. ``I knew the opportunity was there to break the record. I was in great shape and it's the World Championships, so the motivation was there. I just wanted to make sure that I did not mess up the opportunity and give it my best shot.''

On Thursday, it was Johnson taking the shots after receiving heavy criticism for skipping the U.S. Championships in June, the qualifying meet for the World Championships.

Johnson, who received an automatic berth in the 400 meters as defending champion, was entered in the 200 in the national championships but scratched from the meet, citing injury. A week later, however, he was racing in the 400 meters in a lucrative Golden League meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.

``This isn't going to stop them,'' Johnson said. ``People are going to say whatever they want to say, and I need to try to not let it get to me. This year, I let it get to me a little more, but I was able to regroup and get back to what I do best. And that's keeping my mouth shut and running on the track.''

Johnson's triumph tied him with Carl Lewis for the most career gold medals at the World Championships with eight. In addition to his four 400 titles, Johnson has won two 200 meter titles and two in the 1,600-meter relay. Johnson, who set the world record in the 200 at 19.32 during the 1996 Olympics, became only the second man besides 1968 Olympian Tommie Smith to hold 200 and 400 records at the same time.

Meanwhile, Marion Jones, winner of the women's 100 meters and long jump bronze medalist who had entered the meet as a favorite in the 200, has withdrawn from the championships after suffering back pain and spasms which caused her to pull up in the 200 semifinals Wednesday. Jones also was scheduled to run in either the 400- or 1,600-meter relays.

Agoura High graduate Deena Drossin was the top American in the women's 10,000 meters, clocking 32:11.14 to place 11th in a race run in humidity and temperatures in the 80s. Gete Wami of Ethiopia set a championship record by nearly 25 seconds to win in 30:24.56 to pull away from runner-up Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain (30:27.13) and third-place Tegla Loroupe of Kenya (30:32.03) in the final 300 meters.

It was the first World Championships for Drossin, 26, the two-time defending national cross country champion; her time was comparable to a personal best of 32:00.72 run in the mild weather of Eugene, Ore., during the U.S. Championships. Drossin ran aggressively among the top lead pack of eight for nearly 5,000 meters before holding on for 11th.

``It's a learning experience for me because I've never been at a meet like this on the track,'' Drossin said. ``Running aggressively is the style that works best for me. I just wanted to go out and stay with the lead pack for as long as I could. Hopefully, one of these times, I'll be able to stay with them the whole way.''

In the men's 400 meters, Johnson was in command from the start, rocketing through the first 100 in 10.9, 200 in 21.0 and 300 in 31.3. Sanderlei Carlo of Brazil was second in 44.29 and Alejandro Cardenas of Mexico took third in 44.31. Americans Jerome Young and Antonio Pettigrew were fourth and fifth in 44.36 and 44.54. As he crossed the finish line, Johnson stayed relaxed and pumped his right fist in the air as he glanced at the clock. Johnson's winning margin of 1.11 seconds was the largest in World Championship history.

Johnson, who said he is in better shape than during the 1996 Olympics, gave indication of his fitness in the semifinals Wednesday, clocking 43.95 despite glancing side to side and shutting down the final 50 meters. ``I knew I was going to have a lead,'' Johnson said. ``I had to make sure I did not panic. I just had to trust in my ability and finish strong.''

WORLD RECORDS

(all race distances in meters)

100-Maurice Greene, United States, 9.79, June 16, 1999, Athens, Greece.

200-Michael Johnson, United States, 19.32, Aug. 1, 1996, Atlanta.

400-Michael Johnson, United States, 43.18, Aug. 26, 1999, Seville, Spain.

800-Wilson Kipketer, Denmark, 1:41.11, Aug. 24, 1997, Cologne, Germany.

1,000-Sebastian Coe, Britain, 2:12.18, July 11, 1981, Oslo, Norway.

1,500-Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco, 3:26.00, July 14, 1998, Rome.

Mile-Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco, 3:43.13, July 7, 1999, Rome.

2,000-Noureddine Morceli, Algeria, 4:47.88, July 3, 1995, Paris.

3,000-Daniel Komen, Kenya, 7:20.67, Sept. 1, 1996, Rieti, Italy.

Two-mile-Daniel Komen, Kenya, 7:58.61, July 19, 1997, Hechtel, Belgium.

3,000 Steeplechase-Bernard Barmasai, Kenya, 7:55.72, Aug. 24, 1997, Cologne, Germany.

5,000-Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia, 12:39.36, June 13, 1998, Helsinki, Finland.

10,000-Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia, 26:22.75, June 1, 1998, Hengelo, Netherlands.

20,000-Arturo Barrios, Mexico, 56:55.6, March 30, 1991, La Fleche, France.

25,000-Toshihiko Seko, Japan, 1:13:55.8, March 22, 1981, Christchurch, New Zealand.

30,000-Toshihiko Seko, Japan, 1:29:18.8, March 22, 1981, Christchurch, New Zealand.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, box

PHOTO (1 -- color) It's all glee as Michael Johnson crosses the line to break the 400-meter mark.

Herbert Knowsowski/Associated Press

(2)Michael Johnson, right, outraces competitors Claro Sanderlei Parrela, left, and Jerome Young at the World Championships in Seville, Spain.

Eric Draper/Associated Press

Box: World Records (see text)