LEWIS RUNS OUT : AGING SPRINT STAR MISSES TEAM IN 100.

Byline: Rob Gloster Associated Press 

Carl Lewis can't blame a virus this time, only his 34-year-old body.

Lewis finished last as Dennis Mitchell won the final of the men's 100 meters at the U.S. track and field trials Saturday night, failing to qualify for the Olympic team in the event for the second straight time.

Mitchell, the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, collapsed on the track after winning in 9.92 seconds - tied for fastest in the world this year. Mike Marsh, the 1992 Olympic champion in the 200, was second in 10.00 and Jon Drummond was the third qualifier in 10.01.

``I'm Barcelona-bound, baby!'' Mitchell yelled to the crowd, apparently forgetting in his excitement that the Olympics this summer are back in Atlanta.

Gwen Torrence won the women's 100, edging rival Gail Devers, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee was shocked in the heptathlon - losing to an American for the first time in 13 years - but still qualified for the Olympics.

Lewis pulled up at the end of the race, in which he trailed badly and finished in 10.21, and then grimaced as he sat on the track and held his right calf.

``I'm in great condition, but today my body didn't give me the opportunity,'' Lewis said. ``I don't feel bad. I'm frustrated because I knew I was ready to run fast, but it just wasn't my day.''

Lewis said he now will concentrate on qualifying in the 200 and the long jump, though his coach, Tom Tellez, questioned whether Lewis will still run the 200 at the trials.

``When he can't be competitive any more, there's no point,'' Tellez said.

Just as in 1992, when a virus sapped his strength at the trials, Lewis made it to the final but could not finish in the top three in the event he once dominated. Lewis won the Olympic 100 in 1984 and 1988.

After receiving treatment on his calf, Lewis went back on the track to hug Mitchell as the winner cavorted in front of the crowd.

``I feel fantastic, baby,'' said Mitchell. ``I got out well and ran hard. I started cramping up at the end and I said, `Lord, take me to the line,' and He did.''

Torrence edged Devers to win the women's 100 in what could be a preview of the final at this summer's Olympics.

Torrence, the reigning world champion, tied her personal best by finishing in 10.82 seconds - the fastest time in the world this year. Devers, who got an explosive start and led until 50 meters, was second in 10.91 and NCAA champion D'Andre Hill was the third Olympic qualifier in 10.92.

The rivalry between Torrence and Devers is one of the best in women's sports. Devers, the 1992 Olympic champion, had to overcome severe calf, hamstring and buttocks injuries this year.

``I always feel like I'm under pressure to do well, it doesn't have anything to do with who I beat,'' Torrence said. ``If I'd have finished second or third, I'd have had my hand up in the air just the same.''

``I accomplished my goal, which was to leave this meet healthy and a member of the 100-meter team,'' Devers said, who dismissed any suggestion that she was concerned about beating Torrence. ``It wasn't even about that. It was about being in the top three.''

Saturday, Torrence backed up the expectations of an entire city - she lives in suburban Atlanta - by overtaking Devers at the 50-meter mark and pulling away to win easily. Afterward, Torrence and Devers hugged briefly, then they took a victory lap together, along with Hill.

``Gail is one of the best starters in the world,'' Torrence said. ``I knew she would get off well, but you can't panic in the 100.''

Five of the eight finalists broke the 11-second barrier.

Hill, who had a personal best in all four rounds of the competition, won the collegiate title for Louisiana State earlier this month. Five women broke 11 seconds in Saturday's final.

Joyner-Kersee's defeat in the heptathlon was stunning. Kelly Blair won the event with 6,406 points, edging the two-time defending Olympic champion by three points.

Blair, a fresh-faced 25-year old from Oregon, was told she beat Joyner-Kersee and didn't believe it at first.

``It feels weird,'' she said.

``We've always looked at her (Kersee) as a star,'' Blair said with the wait finally over, ``and that the rest of us were fighting for second or third. It's been the mentality over the years. I don't know. She's been so dominant, but this year she's gone through so much, battled injuires. I don't know. I still think she's dominant.''

Joyner-Kersee, who faded badly in the 800 that concluded the two-day competition, had not lost to a compatriot in a heptathlon she finished since 1983.

Joyner-Kersee, 34, who has said this will be her final Olympics, battled through a cold, a twisted ankle and leg spasms when the first four events were contested Friday.

Her 6,403 score this weekend compares with 7,044 points when she won the gold medal in 1992 at Barcelona and 7,291 when she set the world record in winning the gold in 1988 at Seoul.

``It was a tough night mentally and physically for me,'' Joyner-Kersee said. ``I want to continue; I know what I have to do. I'm not going out this way.

``I was disappointed in the javelin. In the other events, I was there. In the javelin, I didn't have a clue what I was doing.''

Her husband-coach, Bob Kersee, interrupted. ``Jackie is in a slump in the javelin in terms of focusing on positioning and technique,'' he said.

Jackie glared at him. ``I am not in a slump,'' she snapped.

This had all the makings of a dandy domestic dispute. ``If you were a pitcher on my team,'' her husband responded, ``I'd trade you.''

Kersee then continued: ``To beat Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the Olympics, someone will have to go over 7,000 points. If she's healthy, she scores 7,200 points. If she's not ready, I'll tell her and the Olympic team and then she'll be free to long jump.''

``I believe in my heart that I'm still the best in the world in the heptathlon,'' Joyner-Kersee said.

Kristin Dunn of NorthriBdge advanced to finals in the javelin with a throw of 168-10.

SATURDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS Heroes: Dennis Mitchell won the men's 100 in 9.92 seconds (over Jon Drummond and Mike Marsh), Gwen Torrence edged rival Gail Devers to win the women's 100, Kelly Blair won the heptathlon, Randy Barnes won the shot put and Kenny Harrison won the triple jump.

Surprises: Carl Lewis finished last in the 100 final, failing to qualify for the Olympics in that event for the second straight time. Blair's victory (6,406 to 6,403) was the first by an American over Jackie Joyner-Kersee since 1983.

Today's highlights: Finals in pole vault, men's javelin and men's and women's 400-meter hurdles. Quarterfinals of the 400 meters, featuring Michael Johnson.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Jon Drummond, left, and Mike Marsh, right, quali fied for the men's 100-meter team with Trials winner Dennis Mitchell, center.

Associated Press