U.S. Pole Vaulters Have Some Catching Up to Do : Olson, Dial, Bell Try for Bubka’s Record Tonight; Hurdler Nehemiah Returns

From Russia with love. That’s the message Sergei Bubka sent to American pole vaulters Thursday when he improved his world indoor record to 19 feet 6 1/2 inches at Osaka, Japan.

The indoor season is barely under way, and the incomparable Bubka has already put the pressure on his counterparts in the United States.

Bubka and Billy Olson each broke the world record four times in 1986, and Joe Dial did it once.

If this season is to be a replay of last year, then Olson, Dial and Earl Bell will have their work cut out for them, starting with the Sunkist Invitational tonight at the Sports Arena.

Olson, without divulging the height, says he has been jumping high in practice. Dial says he has cleared 19 feet twice in intramural meets in Norman, Okla. Bell is also reportedly in good shape for a record assault.

But anything less than a record vault tonight will still leave Bubka in command of the event.

Olson has said that if the Americans take Bubka’s record away from him, the Soviet athlete probably will be obliged to come to the United States for some indoor meets to reclaim it.

As of now, though, Bubka can stay home and let the Americans worry about the high standard he has set.

Bubka improved on his own record by a quarter of an inch. Olson says that the indoor record is definitely obtainable, but he isn’t sure about Bubka’s outdoor record of 19-8 1/2.

So the challenge is there for the Americans in tonight’s 28th annual meet that starts at 7, preceded by high school competition.

The pole vault is, of course, a featured event, but it’s just part of the show.

The meet also marks the return of hurdler Renaldo (Skeets) Nehemiah to the indoor scene after an absence of almost five years.

Nehemiah, the former wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, will renew his rivalry with Greg Foster, the world’s No. 1-ranked high hurdler, in the 60-meter hurdles.

Foster is curious to see if Nehemiah can regain any semblance of the world record-breaking form he had before he left track in 1982 to pursue a pro football career.

Tonie Campbell, a formidable competitor who is in tonight’s hurdles race along with Nehemiah, Foster, Olympic champion Roger Kingdom and Milan Stewart, is skeptical about Nehemiah’s picking up where he left off.

Campbell doubts whether Nehemiah can beat anyone in the race after a long layoff. Nehemiah did have one race in Italy last summer, though, and recorded a respectable time of 13.48 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles. He strained an Achilles’ tendon while winning and hasn’t competed since.

In an interview last month, however, Nehemiah seemed confident that he can resume the second phase of his track career without missing a beat.

He still is the 110-meter record-holder at 12.93 seconds, a mark he set in 1979. No one since has been under 13 seconds, and the best time in the world last year was 13.20.

“The event hasn’t progressed at all since I left,” Nehemiah said in December. “I was the only one before who studied the event, and I still don’t see anyone studying the event, not even Greg.

“The event has always been determined by technique. We all have virtually the same foot speed, so it all comes down to how well you technically prepare for the hurdles. Roger Kingdom won a gold medal and is a good talent, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

Foster, who has been upset in the past by Nehemiah’s needling, isn’t taking the bait now. He says that time isn’t as important as consistency, and pointed out that he has been ranked No. 1 or 2 in the world for the last seven years.

As for not studying the event, he said: “I think I know the event pretty well. I don’t have any problems with it. My technique has basically turned around since four or five years ago.”

One race that is over in about seven seconds doesn’t prove much, but the return of Nehemiah adds some spice and renewed interest in tonight’s 60-meter hurdles.

The hurdlers will be shooting for the world record of 7.47 established by Mark McCoy last year.

Other events and performers of merit:

--Johnny Gray will try to break his 1,000-yard record of 2:04.39. Jeff West will be the rabbit and will try to take Gray through a sub-54 second 440.

--Steve Scott, one of the world’s most enduring milers, is the clear-cut class of the mile field now that New Zealand’s John Walker has withdrawn because of the flu. Scott is the American indoor record-holder at 3:51.8.

--Jackie Joyner, the world heptathlon record-holder, has what amounts to a night off. She’ll compete only in the long jump, her speciality. She is the American outdoor record-holder at 23-9.

--Valerie Brisco-Hooks, a triple gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics, will be featured in a 440-yard race.

--Jimmy Howard and Doug Nordquist, the world’s second- and third-ranked high jumpers, respectively, could threaten the American indoor record of 7-8 3/4, held by Howard.

--Mike Conley, the world’s No. 1-ranked triple jumper, is capable of a record performance. He will be challenged by Al Joyner, the Olympic gold medalist, who is making a comeback in the event after concentrating on the hurdles since the 1984 Games. Charlie Simpkins had to withdraw. He set a then-world record of 57-5 in last year’s meet.