DUEL AT 880 YARDS

Pitt's deceptive Arnie Sowell floats from obscurity to track fame in one uncanny moment of acceleration

Few runners in recent years have burst so dramatically into the track limelight as Pitt's all-but-incredible half-miler, Arnie Sowell. Hardly anyone outside Pittsburgh—and actually not so many there—had even heard his name when the field was sent away in the Intercollegiate 880-yard run at Randalls Island, N.Y. last June. Fordham's heralded strong boy, Tom Courtney, was the overwhelming favorite. But it was Sowell who led the field off the last turn. Courtney rushed him in the stretch (opposite page), came to his shoulder with every muscle straining, and gathered desperately for one last charge to the tape. But Sowell (following pages) simply floated away to win with effortless ease. Sowell has been floating to victories ever since and has become a key U.S. asset for the Olympics. For more about Arnie, including a race with Courtney which ended in an unscheduled jostle last week, see page 21.

FOUR PHOTOS

HY PESKIN