As Temperatures Rise, Performances Fall : Olympic Festival: It’s too hot for sprinters and long jumpers to set records at Air Force Academy.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —  There was plenty of blame to go around during the second day of the U.S. Olympic Festival track and field meet Saturday.

Mostly the 90-degree temperatures and altitude were targeted.

Optimism abounded because high altitude often gives athletes an edge in achieving faster sprint times and longer jumps.

But the attitude about the altitude changed here.

Athletes became short of breath on a broiling day at the Air Force Academy track and field stadium at 7,200 feet.

“I haven’t been through anything like this,” said Andrew Valmon, 1992 Olympic gold medal winner in the 1,600-meter relay. “Not even in New Jersey. It was hot and it was humid.”

Still, the day wasn’t without good performances, but maybe expectations were too high.

The hope that Carl Lewis would challenge the world record in the long jump wasn’t unfounded but ultimately was unfulfilled.

Early in the day, Ivan Pedroso of Cuba set the record of 29 feet 4 3/4 inches at Sestriere, Italy. That eclipsed Mike Powell’s record of 29-4 1/2 set two years ago in Japan. Powell was scheduled to compete at the Festival but stayed home because of injuries.

Lewis, who jumped more than 29 feet three times in Japan when Powell set the record, was in shape here. That, coupled with the altitude and wind, had the estimated crowd of 8,000 buzzing every time Lewis stood at the end of the runway preparing for a jump.

Lewis’ first jump was his farthest, 26-7 3/4, which earned him a gold medal. He jumped 24-10 on his second try, 25-9 on his third and then retired because of a strained muscle near his left hamstring.

Lewis said he did not know if the injury would keep him out of next week’s World Championships in Sweden. He said he would be able to evaluate his injury better today. But he said he won’t go if he isn’t completely sound.

Lewis said he injured the muscle on the approach for his third jump.

“I felt it cramp toward the end of the runway,” he said. “I take 21 strides, and I felt it on the 20th step, so it was too close--I couldn’t stop or just run through the pit. It was cramped when I landed.”

He added that he can tell from the type of pain that it is a muscle strain and not a pull or pulled hamstring.

Lewis said Pedroso’s record jump did not affect his performance.

“I found out about it when I got here,” he said. “Consciously, I have to ignore all other jumps--you have to go out and perform to the best that you possibly can. Subconsciously? Yeah, it probably motivated me. But it was more important for me to jump well and go to the World Championships next week.”

Decathlete Dan O’Brien also competed in the long jump, finishing fifth at 25-7 1/4.

With Lewis hobbled, the day’s feature event became the men’s 400 meters.

Although world-record holder Butch Reynolds failed to appear as advertised earlier in the week--Festival officials said it was a misunderstanding between Reynolds’ management and the U.S. Olympic Committee--there was still a strong field.

Quincy Watts, who won a gold medal in the event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and Valmon, were entered.

But it was Marlon Ramsay, who overcame Watts in the last 50 meters, who won in 45.10 seconds. Watts (45.28) was second, Leonard Byrd (45.48) was third and Valmon (45.79) fourth.

The conditions had an effect on the 400 races too, although it wasn’t immediately obvious.

Bob Beeten, the director of medical services for the Festival, said that Watts and Nicole Green, who finished third in the women’s 400, were taken to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs after the race because of dehydration. Both were given fluids and expected to be released later in the day.

Olympic Festival Notes

Eric Mack of Riverside won the men’s 5,000-meter run. . . . Tisha Miller of Virginia set a Festival record with a high jump of 6 feet 4 1/4 inches. The former record was 6-3 3/4 by Coleen Sommer in 1987. Amy Acuff of UCLA finished second (6-3 1/4). . . . In the women’s shotput, Crystal Brownlee of Westlake won the gold at 54-3 3/4. . . . In the 100 meters, Vincent Henderson of Arkansas won (10.42) and Peter Hargraves of Bellflower was second (10.46).