European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 03, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 38 the stars and stripes sports. Sunday september 3,1995. � y sprint Star Napier cases on the Long run by Doug Sample staff writer when sprinter Dionicio Napier of the . Army settles into the blocks this week at the first military world games in Rome it will be with All the Confidence that comes from knowing he s doing what he was born to do. As a scrawny child growing up in the suburbs of Elpaso Texas he would race boys in the neighbourhood from one Mailbox to the next and beat them All. By the Jime he reached sixth Grade he was running with the High school track team and beating the varsity. So it was no Surprise that when Napier known to his friends As Dino got to be an actual freshman at Irving High school he was the fastest prep sprinter in the Lone Star state and would later set Texas High school records in the 100 11.32 and 200 20.37 v. To Napier s amusement the 100-meter record he set at 19 still stands. That was the last time i ran the 100 in11 seconds he chuckled. I knew i was fast when i found myself beating older kids he said. But when i military world games was running against eighth graders who were even older and beating them i decided to become real  i today Napier 25, is an Roth Cadet with prior enlisted service and member of the track team at Louisiana state univer sity.1 and his seriousness about running has Reade him the army s Best sprinter giving new meaning to that old army description High Speed Low  at a lean 145 pounds Napier s body is built for Speed. His sleek build Strong upper body and Long Racehorse thin legs enable him to Flash through the 100 me ters in a Persona Best 10.28. His time in the 200 is just As impressive at 20.31, fast enough to get him ranked10th nationally in the event by track and Field news. No one expects him to do anything but move up from there. Dino has great potential says assist ant leu track coach Mark Elliott. What s unique about him is that he snot built like a sprinter he looks More like a Long distance runner yet from what Rye seen he s one of the Best. That shows you he has natural talent.". Adds John Register a member with the world class athlete program and former All army hurdler from what i know about Dino he has two gears slow and fast there is no it Between. He s Ca Pable of running the 200 under 20 seconds and i think he will continue to con test the 200-meter title next  after Rome Napier returns to leu for the second time. He first entered the University after graduating from High school and  an ail american As a freshman and Sophomore. But his popularity and Star status made it difficult for him to concentrate. After a year and a half of College he decided to drop out. � i was losing focus in my classes. I was concentrating More on my social life. School and sports were taking a Back Burner. I needed a change he said. His Mother Cecilia suggested he join the army a Way of life with which shews thoroughly familiar. Napier s father made a career of the military before he died suddenly of kid Ney failure when Napier was seven. Napier s Stepfather Charles Terrell who raised him also retired from the military and Napier s oldest brother Tony is an army Reserve officer in Alaska. Is Doug Sample guest runner Dino Napier glances at his time As he nips Bamberg s Keith Moore top in the 200 at last month s . Forces track and Field championships at Bamberg Germany. For Dino it was a change forthe better. As a Soldier Napier became an All army sprinter and member of the army s. World class athlete program. His track career shifted into High gear. Over the past three years Napier has competed against some of the world s Best such As Michael Johnson in the 200 and Carl Lewis in the 100. At the 1992 . Olympic trials Napier challenged Lewis competing in one of the heats for the remaining spot in the 100 meter finals. Napier finished a disappointing fifth a few tenths of a second behind fourth place finisher Lewis who would go on tomake the us team. That was a big blow to me. I trained so hard for the meet and i lost. But it left me hungry Napier said. Last june Napier s hunger was nearly satisfied when he faced Johnson in the 200 at the National championships in Sacra mento Calif. Again he lost. But this time Napier walked away feeling much More confirm Dent. Johnson who went on to become the1995 world Champion in the 200 and 400, won in 20.21. But Napier gave the Champi on a real Challenge finish ing closely on his heels in 20.31. It was Napier s personal est in that event. It was really exhilarating to run against the world Champion but you have to also keep in mind that even though he is the world Champion he is Only human Napier said. Ift did t feel i could run with him then i would t have been out  surprised by Napier s Speed Johnson had a kind word for his challenger after the race.-. ,. A he told me that i made him run said the amazed Napier. He actually told me that after the race. That was the greatest feeling in the world for me to know that i had the world Champion on the run Napier is of the run once again these Days As a member of the . Team for the military world games which open a 12 Day run in Rome tomorrow. Napier is favored in the 100 and 200 meters but approaches that role calmly thanks to a Les son he Learned from a runner whose name he can t remember. In High school no one could beat me and i had a huge ego because i knew i was bad he recalled. But one Day this kid out of nowhere raced me in the 100 and he beat me. I could t believe it so we raced again and he beat me again. I was devastated. He told me now you can come Down off your High horse. You see no one is invincible " the lesson was a dose of reality that Napier says has helped him become a better sportsman and competitor. Of yeah i lose he said laughing. I lose More than i win. If i were to give you my win loss record Ilic bengals would probably have a better record than i  but losing is just a part of life he said. You just have to Deal with it because Youcan t win them  Johnson Berlin a americans printers Michael Johnson and Owen Torrence Ireland s Sonia Sullivan and Belarus s Natalya Shi Kolenko All won impressively in Friday night s staf meet to split 44 pounds of Gold for sweeping their events in the Golden four track and Field series. Johnson 400 meters and Tor rence 200 won at Oslo Zurich Brussels and Berlin to claim their shares of the Gold Bui Liori prom ised to anyone who could win at All four meets. O Sullivan won the 5,000 at All four and Shi Kolenko collected four javelin victories world Champion Donovan Bai Ley of Canada preserved a four Way split of the billion when edged Golden four track olympic Gold medallist Linford Christie in the 100 to deny the Bri ton a sweep. Christie led but. Of the blocks but Bailey caught up Halfway and won in 10.10 Bailey had lost to Christie at Zurich and Brussels after defeating him at the world championships last  men s 400 was Over before the final curve As Johnson the world Champion easily kept his six year unbeaten Streak alive winning in 44.56. A. -. ,. It was Johnson s final 400 of the year. He will concentrate on the200, where he also is the world Champion. Torrence surged out of the curve and was not challenged in winning the women s 200 meters in 21.98, far ahead of runner up Irina Privalova of Russia. Torrence s chief rival Merlene Ottey of Jamaica pulled up lame and did t finish. O Sullivan thrilled the crowd on a Chilly night pulling away from Fer Nanda Ribeiro of Portugal with 300 meters to go in the women s 5,000. O Sullivan was timed in 14 41.40,five seconds off the world record Ribeiro set in july. Ribeiro was almost four seconds Back. V Shi Kolenko secured her Golden four sweep with a throw of 221 feet sinches. In events where the Only Gold involved was the color of the Winner Smedal Haile Gebreslassie of Ethiopia decided his Duel with Moses Kip Tanui of Kenya in the 5,000 meters with 600 renters remaining in the first meeting Between the world s dominant distance runners. The ethiopian turned on the Speed and swept past of Tanui after staying on the kenyan s shoulder nearly half the race. His time of 12 minutes 53.19 seconds was an staf meet record but was nearly 10 seconds off his world Mark. Kyj Tanui the world record Holder in the 3,000 steeplechase clocked13 00.90. The meet also saw Kokert brits of South Africa beat world record Holder Sergei Bubka of Ukraine in the pole vault when he cleared 19feet, 6 /4 inches. Brits 22, failed three times at 20 2, one Quarter Inch above Bubka record