Whoever said that track and field has no following in the United States forgot to tell the 28,645 fans who turned out for the Gold Rush international track meet on July 13 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Even a driving rain storm could not drive people away, as the majority of those in attendance chose to stick out the 20-minute delay midway through the meet.
In a meet that was perceived by many as a showcase for U.S. Olympic long jumper and eight-time gold medalist Carl Lewis, it was the fans, and the athletes they rallied behind, who stole the show.
"The reception was great," said Gail Devers, who ran the women's U.S. 400-meter relay. "I think the support from the fans-first of all that there are so many people here-is amazing to me."
The surprising turnout was enough to prompt Devers to tout North Carolina as a top venue for track and field.
"I think North Carolina is a great place to be," Devers said. "I think there should be-this is my personal opinion-a lot more world-class international meets here. The facilities are here, the fans, the support... I think athletes want to feel appreciated and want to know that people want to see us compete, and we definitely got that warm reception here. I would like to see more meets here in the future because I will definitely be here."
Fellow U.S. Olympic sprinter Gwen Torrence echoed Dever's sentiments, despite not actually being able to participate.
"Just by looking at this crowd here, I wish the trials were here," Torrence said. "This is just great to see so many people come out to see us perform as we go into the games. I think that this is very good therapy for me, and this meet is an excellent idea. It is less pressure, but it has an Olympic feeling."
Torrence was forced to scratch from her spot as the anchor on the 400-meter relay team due to a slight fiber tear in her upper left thigh. She was replaced by D'Andre Hill, who along with Chryste Gaines, Devers and Inger Miller ran a blistering time of 42.34 seconds not only to capture the race, but to set the fastest time in the world this year.
Throughout the entire race, it was obvious that the American team was something special to watch, and the crowd got behind them accordingly. The cheering remained strong even after the race and did not really settle down until the four teammates left the track.
The men's 400-meter relay that followed received similar support as the two American teams in the race finished in the top two spots. The "A" team of Jon Drummond, 100-meter world record holder Leroy Burrell, Mike Marsh and Dennis Mitchell finished first with a 1996 world-best time of 38.16.
The men's team, too, was struck by the energy of the fans.
"It was really, really nice to see so many people out here," Burrell said. "I don't think my teammates and I really expected to have this many people here. It's really different running in front of an American crowd like this because they are a little louder and a little rowdier than the crowds we're accustomed to in Europe. It's good to see that we have a really big following, and I imagine it's just shades of what's to come in Atlanta."
Perhaps the biggest ovation of the evening came for U.S. pole vaulter Lawerence Johnson. Johnson, who is the U.S. record holder in the pole vault, was victorious in the competition, but had his highest jump of the competition at 18 feet, 4 inches not count, despite clearing the bar. The bar came down after his pole hit the standard. In a sign of his appreciation of the support the crowd had been giving him all night, Johnson chose to perform an exhibition jump at 19 feet, which he cleared-much to the extreme delight of all those in attendance.
"The enthusiasm of the crowd is great and it really gets me going, and I feel like they really enjoy it," Johnson said. "[Getting the crowd's support] is something I look forward to, and it's something that I try and make happen at every competition. I knew I didn't hit the bar or anything, so it was frustrating. I felt like the crowd wanted to see a higher performance, so I asked for the exhibition vault."
Lewis started the evening off by capturing the long jump, although his distance of 26 feet, 3 inches fell far short of expectations. Despite not performing spectacularly, Lewis was happy to come away from the meet with a better understanding of what he must do to prepare himself for Atlanta.
"His jump was fine, it's that his run was off," said Tom Tellez, Lewis's coach with the Santa Monica Track Club. "The thing is, if the run-up is too far out, then he has to stretch to reach the board, and you can't jump that way. Maybe he's pressing a little bit, when all he has to do is run down there relaxed and jump like he does in practice."
"We came here, we figured out some things and I'll be ready for the games," Lewis said. "That's it. I feel I'm in good shape. [On July 28], I'll be ready to jump. I didn't jump as consistently or as well today, but I definitely learned some things that are going to help me."
The meet also included a Blue Devil athlete, as Duke women's track and field team member Kim Voyticky was asked to run in the 1,500 meters as a rabbit. Voyticky, a junior heptathelete who excels in the 800 meters, ran the first 600 meters of the race at a set pace to help drive the competitors, then dropped out.
Voyticky said it was the greatest thrill of her track career. "It was a great honor to be out there with them."
"The rabbit was perfect; she ran just the way we wanted," said Stephanie Best, winner of the 1,500.
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