With a Quarter Inch Between

TRACK & FIELD

After two months on the banquet circuit, last year's Olympians have been having their troubles in this winter's big indoor track meets. Nobody has even cracked 4 min. for the mile, and the fans are getting to be girl watchers.

Rumania's leggy Yolanda Balas high-jumped a record 5 ft. 11 1/2 in. in Los Angeles, and Britain's tidy Mary Rand broke the broad-jump record twice in one week, an event now discreetly referred to as the "ladies' long jump."

But there are a couple of male athletes who are creating some excitement.

Russia's Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, 26, and the U.S.'s Ralph Boston, 25, are the two best broad jumpers in the world, and they could hardly be better matched.

Both are graduate students (Boston in biochemistry, Ter-Ovanesyan in physiology), and both are world record holders. Boston owns the outdoor mark of 27 ft. 4 1/4 in.; Ter-Ovanesyan holds the indoor record of 26 ft. 10 in. Out doors, Boston has beaten Ter-Ovanesyan five straight times, but going into this winter, the Russian had the edge indoors, 3-2.

The rivalry is as friendly as it is fierce. Two weeks ago, when they met at the Los Angeles Times Indoor Games, Ralph was wearing a Russian beanie, a souvenir from last summer's U.S.-Russia track meet. "It's my good-luck piece," he explained, and he needed it. On his first jump, Boston soared 26 ft. Ter-Ovanesyan quickly topped that with a leap of 26 ft. 3 in. Then, in the final round, Boston uncorked a floating leap of 26 ft. 4 3/4 in. to go out in front once again. The Russian gave it a last desperate try, and the crowd held its breath while judges painstakingly measured Ter-Ovanesyan's heel marks. Good. But not quite good enough: 26 ft. 41 in.

Then off they flew to Manhattan for the National A.A.U. championships in Madison Square Garden. Two years ago, Boston had lost his country's A.A.U. title to Ter-Ovanesyan, and last week he yearned to avenge the defeat. After four jumps, Boston was in the lead at 26 ft. 2 1/4 in.; the best Ter-Ovanesyan was able to manage was 26 ft. 1 in. The Russian shook his head, walked over to talk to High Jumper Valery Brumel. Somehow that seemed to give him strength, and he stalked back to the runway. Hands dangling, he began his run, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Slamming his left foot into the takeoff board, he shot forward, legs flailing. The red flag stayed down: fair jump. The measurement: 26 ft. 2 1/4 in. -- exactly equaling Boston's best.

The judges declared Ter-Ovanesyan the winner because his second-best jump was better than Boston's. After two meets, each of the old rivals had won once--and the total margin between them was a quarter of an inch.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.