European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                R thursday August 12. 1993 sports the stars and stripes Page 27 o Brien hoping to shake off 92 vaulting disaster by John Bagratuni Bonn Orpi Only his failure to qualify for last year s Barcelona olympics has prompted american Dan o Brien to shoot for a second decathlon world championship next week in Stuttgart Germany. If i had won the Barcelona Gold i would have pulled out of the world championship trials in Eugene ore., because of a prostate inflammation and spared myself a lot of pain o Brien said after qualifying in june. At the . Olympic trials in new or leans last year the 27-year-old o Brien amazingly failed to qualify for the games when he missed the opening pole vault height of 16 feet % Inch despite a per Sonal Best of 17-23/4. The Competition had been considered a Mere formality for o Brien but instead he wound up going to Barcelona Only As a to expert. I will never forget that disaster said o Brien who partly made up for his mis Fortune by scoring a world record of 8,891 Points in Valence France last sept. 4-5. Despite the prostate problems o Brien qualified for Stuttgart with 8,331 Points and still Aims to be the first athlete to break 9,000 Points. If i am 100 percent fit 9,000 Points Are no problem said the son of a finn ish Mother and a american father who was adopted at the age of 2 by an Irish american couple. O Brien s personal bests event by event total an impressive 9,307 Points More than 400 Points better than those of olympic Champion Robert Smelik of the czech Republic 8,875one of his major rivals in Stuttgart. Another dec athlete hoping to upset the favorite is Eduard Hamalainen of be Larus who scored a 1993 world Best of 8,604 Points in Gotzis Austria May 30. At the same meeting Germany s Paul Meier and Mike Smith of Canada both outscored o Brien s Eugene total with 8,460 and 8,362, respectively. As Well As his new Orleans Nightmare o Brien will remember the 1991 world championships in Tokyo where he Al most went out in the High jump before going on to take Gold with 8,812 Points. O Brien with a personal Best of 6-11%, Only barely cleared his opening height of 6-3 /4 and could go no higher. A jump of 6-55/s would have been enough to break Daley Thompson s world record. I did a lot of Good things in route to the Gold in Tokyo but also one bad thing. But that s decathlon o Brien said. O Brien stressed he owed his participation in Stuttgart to his coaches. I am very glad that my coaches stopped me from giving up in Eugene. Mike Keller and Rick Sloan were wonderful in their toughness towards me he said. Having to be a Spectator again like at the Barcelona games would have been terrible for  mob in Dan o Brien shown in the decathlon hurdles is aiming for 9,000 Points at Stuttgart. Young Nof disappointed by hurdle losses by Salvatore Zanca Monte Carlo Monaco a Kevin Young knew it would be difficult to repeat what happened last year winning an olympic Gold medal by More than 5 Yards and breaking a world record in the 400-meter hurdles. So he is not disappointed by his three recent losses heading into the world championships starting sat urday. Young 26, had an outstanding year in 1992. Many newspapers and magazines selected him As the top run Ner of the year. He was unbeaten in 17 meets and broke Edwin Moses 1983 record by .24 second with 46.78, becoming the first hurdler to break the 47-Scc Ond Barrier when Young started 1993 with some Good races and continued unbeaten people Start to compare him with Moses who dominated the event for More than 10 years and had a 107-meet unbeaten Streak. Young knew otherwise. It s strange. People looked at my undefeated Streak and it was like the second coming of Edwin Young said. I never thought of it like that it is kind of hard to recapture what i did in Barcelo  after posting the fast Early season time of 47.37, Young was believed to be a lock for the world championship title in Stuttgart. Then Young lost. He bowed to 1991 world Champion Samuel Matte in London on july 27. He was third to Jamaica s Winthrop Graham and Matte in Zurich Fol Lowed by another loss to Matte in the herculis meet in Monte Carlo last saturday. I am a Little fatigued and i think the travelling from London to scat Rice to Monte Carlo has gotten to me Young said. Graham won the Silver medal at the olympics. A Tete was disqualified in the semifinals. It appears the race for the 1993 world title will come Down to those three. They Are the Only ones consistently under 48.00 this year. For the most part myself and my competitors have their mind set on being Champion Young said. It is going to be a Good race. The Competition is a lot stiffer now for the most part. We Are All struggling just to find our right rhythm Young said. Eventually i am trying to find the Sam kind of Energy i had in Barcelona and look for the same kind of results. Hopefully for me it will not come Down to the wire like it has the last two  in Monte Carlo Young was leading Over the last hurdle and Matte beat him in the final stretch. At the olympics Young was far ahead when he hit the last hurdle hard and slowed Down in the final strides to raise his Arm in Victory. He still won by More than 5 Yards Over Graham. Young knows what he has to do to prepare for the 400 hurdles which Start monday with the final scheduled three Days later. I just need my own proper surroundings Ana get my concentration up and have a real Good race Young said. Isaaf considers reducing track doping bans by Morley Myers Stuttgart Germany up track and Field s governing body is consid ering halving the minimum four year ban imposed on serious doping offenders. The 25-Strong Council of the International Amateur athletics federation is concerned about being out of step with other sports federations despite the Suc Cess of its policy. Isaaf Secretary Istvan Gyulai said coun cil members at tuesday s meeting stressed the importance of following the policy of uniform sanctions As agreed by the International olympic committee and the sum Mer olympic federations at their june meeting in Lausanne Switzerland. The Isaaf increased its minimum two year suspension for first offenders to four years at the 1991 Congress in Tokyo. However the German athletic federation is pressing for lighter sentences to avoid the kind of Legal tangles spawned. By Katrin Krabbe s four year ban for Tak ing the drug . Under Germany s proposal which is being discussed by the International con Gress the minimum ban for first time of fenders would be lowered to one year while the maximum would be four. However Gyulai indicated a two year minimum rather than one year would fit More closely with the Lausanne agreement. The Isaaf is very pleased with the re cent development internationally in the fight against doping Gyulai said. But Isaaf president Primo Nebiolo and his Council members were against premature action before the International federations and the Ioc met again in december. It is very difficult to have a final Deci Sion before then. We want to be hand Inland with the other federations Gyulai said. Although Many Isaaf member associations supported the four year ban Many others have Legal problems in their coun tries and this has to be looked at he added. Gyulai said the Council would be asking a mandate from the Congress to decide on the doping Issue. Unification with the other federations is very important he said. The Council also voted 20 to 5 in favor of moving the Isaaf Headquarters from London to Monte Carlo. The Isaaf Council on wednesday accepted Macedonia As a provisional Mem Ber allowing its athletes to participate in the world championships. They will be treated As individual participants and will not be allowed to carry their Flag or any other identification link ing them to their country during the 10 Day event which opens i riday