TRACK UC IRVINE INVITATIONAL : Weather, Little Fun Help Young Enjoy Victory in 110 High Hurdles

IRVINE —  Kevin Young enjoyed the scenery, the weather and the track Sunday at the UC Irvine Invitational.

Young, who had the fourth-best time in the world in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles last year and was fourth in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, outclassed a field that included Tonie Campbell, Al Joyner and Willie Gault in the 110 high hurdles Sunday, winning the event in 13.65 seconds at UCI Track Stadium.

Campbell, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist in the 110, placed second in 13.98 and David Ashford, competing for Athletes in Action, was third in 14.03. Gault, competing for the Raiders, was fourth (14.33) and Joyner--the Olympic gold-medalist in the triple jump at the 1984 Los Angeles Games--was fifth (14.44).

“I was talking to Tonie Campbell before the race and I told him it was only my second 110-hurdle race in six years,” said Young, whose last race in the event was in 1987. “I’m using a different philosophy than I was using in ’88 because I found I was too focused in the intermediates.”

An elated Young, who said he had planned to run in the Penn Relays this weekend but opted instead for the UCI meet, sat down after his race and smiled, saying he was having fun competing this year.

“My coach (John Smith) got me in here and I’m happy because the weather is real nice,” Young said. “I’ve always been a versatile athlete, but I’ve got a lazy trail leg and I’ve been banging my knees up in races. Running the 110’s helps me with the trail leg.

“My main concentration is in the intermediates, but I expected to win it (the race) today and I wanted to win it . . . And it’s always good to beat guys like Willie Gault, Al Joyner and Tonie Campbell.”

Campbell, who used to train at UCI, wasn’t as happy as Young, saying he is concerned about his training and racing.

“It’s been a bad day and there’s really no excuse--I’m not in shape,” said Campbell, who trains at Cal Poly Pomona. “Kevin Young ran a good race. He ran what he was supposed to do. It’s not unexpected what he did, but I have got to feed off of it and use it to my advantage. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Steve Lewis of the Santa Monica track club was another world-class athlete who opted to run an event other than his specialty. Lewis, who won the 1988 Olympic 400 meters and was ranked seventh in the world in 1991, captured the 100 (10.41) and set a meet and stadium record in the 200, winning in 20.66. Lewis, 22, broke the stadium record of 20.69, set in 1988 by Roy Martin. Mark Senior held the meet record of 21.15, set in 1990. Mike Powell, the world record-holder in the long jump and former UC Irvine and UCLA athlete, was slated to run the 200, but did not show up.

“Basically, what I did today was a speed workout,” said Lewis, who plans to open the season with an open 400 or a leg in the 1,600 relay at the Modesto Relays in three weeks. “They were both PRs--I haven’t run the 100 in four years and I’m satisfied with the times.”

Jim Doehring, who competed for San Clemente High School, Saddleback College and San Jose State, threw a national best in the shotput, 69 feet 2 3/4 inches, winning the event by more than eight feet. Doehring, who graduated from San Clemente in 1980, missed the 1992 season because of a drug suspension. Sunday’s competition was his first since he was suspended.

Meet Notes

Brazilian Edgar de Oliveria of the Funilense track club broke the meet record in the 800, winning in 1:48.51. The previous record of 1:48.78 was held by Brazilian Jose Luiz Barboza, top-ranked in the world in the 800 last year. Barboza won the 1,500 (3:45.45), ran a leg on the Funilense 1,600 relay team, and ran about 575 meters of the 800, pacing Oliveria.

Ireland’s Conor McCullough won the hammer throw (202-8), although he made only two attempts. McCullough, a two-time Olympian who lives in the San Fernando Valley, got caught in El Toro Air Show traffic and threw without any warm-up.

Mark Parlin, a red-shirt freshman at UCLA who competed for Esperanza High last year, was third in the shotput at 58-0 1/2.

Former Los Alamitos High runner Mark Junkermann won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a near wire-to-wire effort (8:57.35).