Aouita Breaks Record in 1,500; Lewis Beaten

Said Aouita, who had to reschedule an audience with the King of Morocco to compete here, broke the world record in the men’s 1,500-meter run Friday night with a time of 3 minutes 29.45 seconds at a Grand Prix track and field meet.

It was the second world record of the season for the 24-year-old Moroccan, who set the 5,000-meter mark of 13:00.40 in Norway on July 27. The previous 1,500-meter record was 3:29.67, set by Britain’s Steve Cram five weeks ago at Nice, France.

Aouita, the Olympic 5,000-meter champion, punched the air in delight after finishing in a blaze of photographers’ flashes.

“If I was not injured tonight, I would have run 3:27.5,” said Aouita, who was nursing an aggravated hamstring injury. “I think I could maybe break five world records this summer. But the doctor said I must give the injury 10 days to heal, so we shall have to see.”

Aouita’s startling run was matched by another shocker--Carl Lewis losing his second race in three days, this time the 200 meters.

Wearing a red and blue bodysuit, Lewis was beaten badly. He was challenging coming out of the turn, with 100-meter world record-holder Calvin Smith outside him and Olympic silver medalist Kirk Baptiste inside. But with 40 meters to go, he faded to fourth.

Aouita was in a fast field that included Sydney Maree of the United States, Pierre Deleze of Switzerland, Omar Khalifa of Sudan and Mike Boit of Kenya. The field was pulled around the first lap in 56.80 by Volker Blumenthal of West Germany, with Aouita in third place.

Blumenthal took them through 800 meters in 1:53.50, just .18 off the record pace.

Ireland’s Frank O’Mara then helped set up the record up for Aouita, hitting 1,200 meters in 2:48.50. Although Aouita was less than six meters behind, he ran a blistering last lap of 54.2 with Maree right behind to break the record.

Maree finished second in 3:32.90, and Deleze was third in 3:33.04. It was the first world record in this meet at Olympic Stadium since 1978.

As for Lewis, he recently began competing again after taking two months off following an injury.

“I am pleased with the performance,” he said. “I finished fourth but I ran better than in Zurich. It was my first real 200 meters since last year. I tried to press but I got tired. I will be running in Cologne. I am getting over a tough injury layoff.”

Lewis finished fourth in 20.69 seconds behind fellow Americans Baptiste (20.45), Smith (20.45) and James Butler (20.63).

Lewis was placed fifth overall in the 200 meters for Grand Prix point standings as Carlo Simionato of Italy won the B final in 20.66. Wednesday at Zurich, Switzerland, Lewis placed fourth in the 100 meters.

In the pole vault, Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union won at 19 feet 0 inches and then made three futile attempts at improving by a half-inch his world record of 19-8.

Greg Foster, the world champion and Olympic silver medalist, won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.29 seconds, the second fastest time of the year.

And Valerie Brisco-Hooks, the triple Olympic gold medalist, continued her impressive form with a winning time of 49.56 in the 400 meters--also the second fastest time of the year.

Olympic champion Joaquim Cruz of Brazil ran the 800 meters in another second fastest time of the year, 1:42.98, and beat Johnny Gray, who was timed in 1:43.84.