No records look set to be broken at Bob Hasan meet

JAKARTA (JP): The world-class runners competing in the second Bob Hasan Invitational track and field meet tomorrow evening, promised their best performances of the season but record breaking looks unlikely.

Speaking at a press conference at the Senayan Madya stadium after a short coaching clinic yesterday, American sprinter Dennis Mitchell said that he did not expect to break his own record during the meet.

"I don't think I'll have the chance of clocking my target time of 9.83 seconds," Mitchell said. "But anything can happen," he quickly added.

Mitchell, whose best time is 9.91, is now ranked ninth in the world.

In tomorrow's event, slated from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m., Mitchell is up against compatriot Vincent Henderson and other world-class runners.

Henderson, who clocked the best time of the year of 10.00 last month, also declined to promise a record-breaking time in his first trip to Indonesia, saying that he was still suffering from jet lag after a 22-hour flight.

Both sprinters said that they are focusing on qualifying for the Olympics in Atlanta, which will run from July 19 to Aug. 4.

Only 25 out of 44 athletes invited to the one-day competition practiced at the stadium yesterday. The rest of the group was scheduled to arrive yesterday afternoon.

Jamaican female sprinter Juliet Cuthbert, who joined the Americans in the conference, said that the invitational event here will serve as her warm-up before taking part in a world grand prix meet in Osaka, Japan, on May 11.

"I just want to run fast here, at least to equal my best time 10:83," she said. Cuthbert set her personal best in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, on her way to a silver medal.

Chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Athletic Association Mohammad (Bob) Hasan asked national athletes to learn from the international meet.

"At least, they'll know what a competition with top stars in track and field looks like. This should motivate them to do as well as the world athletes," he said.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman is scheduled to open the meet, the second since 1994. (yan)