Joyner-Kersee 15 Points Behind Her Record Heptathlon Pace

SAN JOSE — Jackie Joyner-Kersee said she believes she’s ready to break the world heptathlon record for the third time in less than a year, but the spirit didn’t move her Tuesday.

After four events at the USA/Mobil track and field championships at San Jose City College, she has 4,130 points, 15 behind the world-record pace she set last summer at the U.S. Olympic Festival at Houston.

Entering the final three events today, Cindy Greiner of Eugene, Ore., is second with 3,842 points, and nine-time national champion Jane Frederick of Santa Barbara is third with 3,830. USC’s Wendy Brown is sixth with 3,438.

Through the first five events in the decathlon, Tim Bright of Eugene leads with 4,277 points, only 13 ahead of LSU’s Sheldon Blockburger and 31 ahead of Rob Muzzio of Great Falls, Va.

Seattle’s Mike Ramos, the No. 1-ranked decathlete in the United States last year, is out of the competition after failing to clear a height in the high jump, while Dave Johnson of Corvallis, Ore., ranked second nationally last year, is 13th with 3,794 points. UCLA’s Jim Connolly, the NCAA champion, is sixth at 4,089.

Joyner-Kersee’s coach and husband, UCLA women’s coach Bob Kersee, said he still thinks she will break the world record here if she goes over 23 feet in the long jump, the first event today.

Her best long jump in the heptathlon was 23-0 last year, although she has jumped the American record of 23-9 in open competition.

“The key is to make up the 15-point difference in the long jump,” Kersee said. “If she does that, the spirit will hit her, and she’ll go out there and hit 160 feet in the javelin and then go for the record in the 800.”

Kersee said his wife was better prepared for this meet physically than mentally.

“I think she’s faster than she was last year, and she’s as strong,” he said. “Mentally, that’s the thing. All year, she’s been forcing herself to go through certain workouts. She really doesn’t have that spirit yet.

“If she stays as strong physically, the adrenaline will be flowing more at the world championships. She’ll be more up for it mentally.”

Joyner-Kersee said she will compete in her only other heptathlon this year at the world championships, Aug. 29-Sept. 6, in Rome. The first three finishers here in the heptathlon and decathlon earn berths on the U.S. team.

She also will attempt to qualify here for the world championships in the long jump, which has its trial Thursday and finals Saturday.

In the first event Tuesday, Joyner-Kersee ran 12.90 in the 100-meter hurdles, behind her personal best of 12.85, but she said she could have done considerably better if she hadn’t stumbled over the fifth hurdle.

She also fell short of personal bests in the other three events with a 6-0 3/4 in the high jump, a 49-9 1/2 in the shot put and a 23.02 in the 200 meters.