MARK SLANEY, the heart break kid of American Olympians, made an emotional comeback at Atlanta by qualifying for this year's Games at 5,000 metres in a race which eerily threatened to repeat her 1984 Olympic disaster.
With about 300 metres to go, Slaney was clipped on the heel by Amy Rudolph. Unlike the 1984 Olympic 3,000 metres, where Slaney fell in a heap after tangling with Zola Budd, however, the 37 year old veteran righted her stride and went on to finish second in 15:29.39.
The largely tactical race was won by Lynn Jennings in 15:28.18. Rudolph took the third and final spot for the event on the US Olympic team in 15:29.91.
"It feels great," said Slaney after charging back from fifth place with about two laps to go to claim second. "I'm glad it's over. It's a relief because I wanted it a lot. A year ago, I didn't think it was going to happen. And it happened."
Her fall in Los Angeles was just the most dramatic in a series of competitive disappointments for the often injured Slaney.
She expected to make the US Olympic team as early as 1976 when still known as Mary Decker, but a shin injury forced her out of the competition. Then she won the 1,500 metres at the 1980 US Olympic trials only to be caught up in the politics of the US boycott of the Moscow Games.
By 1983, she had become the world's dominant female middle distance runner, sweeping the 1,500 and 3,000 metres at the world championships. But the picture of her pain and anguish a year later in Los Angeles became one of the most poignant associated with any Olympic Games.
Slaney rebounded in 1985, setting American records in the 800 and 1,500 metres. But in 1988 in Seoul there was no Olympic redemption as Slaney finished a disappointing eighth in the 1,500 and 10th over 3,000 metres. She failed even to qualify for the my momentum going into the turn and my foot got caught. To be honest, I don't know by who or what. I just wasn't sure what was going on, and I was trying not to fall and to keep going."
And keep going is just what Slaney has in mind as she strives for an elusive place on the Olympic podium. "Obviously, I need to improve a lot between now and the actual 5,000 at the Games, but I plan to get out there and do my best," she promised.
Meanwhile, eight times Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis only surpassed the eight metre mark once in the long jump heats, barely scraping into the finals with a leap of 8.03 metres.
"I didn't want to be too aggressive because I didn't want to risk an injury," said Lewis, who suffered a cramp in his right calf while finishing eighth and last in the 100 metres final.
World record holder Mike Powell and Mike Conley led the qualifying with jumps of 8.32m.
In the 400 metres, Michael Johnson also clocked performances well below his best. After winning his previous 52 consecutive races in the event, Johnson has failed to win any of his three beats in the trials, claiming that he does not want to exhaust himself too early in the competition.
