DAY 11 ONCE AGAIN, MAN OF THE HOUR

Michael Johnson flew around the track, shoulders thrown so far
back that his race seemed a miracle more of posture than of
speed. There was plenty of that, though, and by the time his
pretty gold shoes had come to rest he had won the 400-meter race
in Olympic record time, nearly a full second ahead of the field.
It was a nice opener to his double dare, an attempt for
unprecedented wins in both the 400 and 200.

Yet, to Johnson's frustration, the night wasn't his. Worse, the
sport of track and field, which he has seemed to dominate
lately, was not deeded to him following his triumph. No matter
what Johnson did, the next day's headlines were going to be
about King Carl, the stories all about a 35-year-old guy and his
fourth gold medal in the long jump, an antique who simply
refuses to be led off the world stage.

Before Johnson, 28, had even curled into his blocks, Carl Lewis
had pretty much wrapped up his event, the only one he can truly
compete in any more, with a leap of 27' 10 3/4". It was well off
his personal best, well off a record, and it came against a
field that was not exactly the strongest ever assembled. But to
see him sail over the sand on that jump, his feet clawing the
air, was to realize at once that magic had been made. It was a
jump that would not be beaten, just as Lewis, who had struggled
to qualify for these finals, was an athlete who would not lose.

And yet his feat seemed difficult for others to acknowledge,
tense relationships forged in countless competitions making it
impossible for rivals to celebrate his majestic career. The
event's world-record holder, Mike Powell, strained a groin
muscle on one jump and then writhed dramatically in the pit on
his next. He still couldn't allow any glory to go Lewis's way.
Asked about Lewis, who had just won his ninth gold medal since
1984, Powell paused to collect his thoughts and just walked away.

Several athletes of lesser reputation seemed to understand what
Lewis had done. "You think of Jesse Owens," said long jump
bronze medalist Joe Greene, "you think of Carl Lewis." But
others could not bring themselves to congratulate him. "As far
as Carl trying to be the premier athlete in track and field,"
said Johnson, "I think he should step down from there."

Throughout his long career Lewis has been an unabashed
self-promoter, bringing himself more wealth than popularity. But
he has always delivered the goods, made those jumps when he had
to. Anybody who doesn't appreciate that needs to think about
what he'll have in his closet when he's 35--gold shoes or gold
medals.

COLOR PHOTO: WALTER IOOSS JR. Lewis, as he always does, came up big when it counted, winning his ninth gold medal and stealing the spotlightfrom his peeved peers. [Carl Lewis airborne in long jump]

COLOR PHOTO: JOHN BIEVER Feet were flying in the 400 meters, but in the end Johnson's golden slippers were--by far--the fastest of them all. [Michael Johnson and two other runners racing]

COLOR PHOTO: WALTER IOOSS JR. A groin injury had Powell in the pits, but U.S. gymnast Dominique Moceanu somehow stayed on the beam despite a scary slip. [Mike Powell lying in sand pit]

COLOR PHOTO: MANNY MILLAN [See caption above--Dominique Moceanu on balance beam]