Globe-Trotting Devers Takes Time to Win : Track and field: Running on her third continent in eight days, she breaks U.S. record in 50 meters.

Traveling around the world in 80 days was once considered a feat worthy of books, movies and songs. But people today move faster than they used to.

Gail Devers just did it in eight days.

Competing in indoor track and field meets on three continents since last weekend, it is apparent she does not believe in staying too long in one place.

For example: Devers ran the 50 meters Saturday night in the Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena in 6.10 seconds, easily breaking the American record of 6.13 set by Jeanette Bolden in 1981 and equaled by Michelle Finn in 1992.

Before this year, Devers’ time also would have broken the world record of 6.11 set by East Germany’s Marita Koch in 1980.

But people today move faster than they did then.

Since the indoor season began, three women have run faster than 6.11 four times. Russia’s Irina Privalova holds the existing record of 6.00. But Devers is not complaining about becoming the fourth-fastest performer in the event, because she prefers longer distances.

“Usually, it takes me 60 meters to get rolling,” said Devers, whose closest challenger was Teresa Neighbors in 6.25.

Devers also set the American record at 60 meters recently with a time of 7.05 seconds for a race in Spain, although it was fast enough only for second place behind another Privalova world record of 6.92.

That was the first meet in Devers’ eight-day odyssey. She went from there to Sweden and to Japan before returning to Los Angeles. This was the former UCLA star’s first appearance in her hometown since she won the 100 meters in the Olympics last summer.

She also was leading in the 100-meter hurdles at Barcelona before a collision with the last hurdle caused her to fall.

“I wanted to thank my fans for all their support,” she said of her decision to compete in the Sunkist despite her hectic schedule. “I received so much fan mail before the Olympics that I went to the starting blocks in both the 100 meters and hurdles feeling I had the whole world behind me.”

On Saturday night, the 11,121 who attended the 34th annual Sunkist were behind her.

Devers never has to leave her home track at Westwood to find competition. She trains with two-time Olympic decathlon champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who again proved her high-hurdling prowess at the Sports Arena by equaling the 50-meter American record of 6.84 seconds, initially set in 1989 by Kim McKenzie. Dawn Bowles was second in 6.99.

Two other 1992 Olympic gold medalists, Mike Stulce in the shot put and Kevin Young in the 500 meters, were successful. Stulce won with his first put of 70 feet 4 1/4 inches. In his first competition since his two-year suspension for failing a steroid test ended last summer, Randy Barnes, the indoor and outdoor world record-holder, was second at 67-9 3/4. Young won his race in 56.2 seconds.

But one reigning Olympic champion who did not fare so well was decathlete Robert Zmelik of the Czech Republic. In a three-event mini-decathlon, he finished third. Dan O’Brien, the world record-holder, won with victories in the 500-meter hurdles and the long jump and a tie for first in the 50 meters.

Two other meet records were set, one by an athlete who is on his way out of the sport and the other by one who is on her way up.

On his farewell tour after announcing that he will retire this year, Greg Foster, 34, won the 50-meter hurdles in 6.41 seconds. He has nine Sunkist victories in his 16-year career, more than any other athlete.

The difference in this one was his start, which might have beaten the gun. It certainly beat former USC hurdler Mark Crear, who finished second in a time of 6.43 that tied the meet record set two years ago by Tony Dees.

“I guess I got a fair start out of the blocks,” said Foster, who could not afford another false start after being charged with one. “They said I got a good start, but I didn’t run worth a damn once I got going.”

Not experiencing that difficulty was Mozambique’s Maria Mutola, a promising 20-year-old middle distance runner who won the 880 yards in 2:01.00 to erase the meet record of 2:02.85, set nine years ago by Czechoslovakia’s Jarmila Kratochvilova.

But the most precocious runner was Paul Turner of San Diego’s University City High, who won the boys’ 50 meters in a national prep best of 5.80 seconds. That was faster than the winning time of 5.81 run by the winner of the men’s 50, USC’s Travis Hannah.

The most overworked athletes were the men who ran the 3,000 meters. They were forced to go an extra 160 yards when officials lost count of the laps. Marc Davis won in 8:17.57. His unofficial time for the distance he was scheduled to run was 7:58.3.