Jackie Joyner-Kersee won her third Goodwill Games heptathlon championship Tuesday, but the competition became almost as draining for her emotionally as it was physically when a Russian official threatened to disqualify her after the sixth of seven events, the javelin throw. An international incident was almost torched after the meet's assistant referee, Viktor Karashan, accused Joyner-Kersee of throwing a javelin that was flying under the influence.
The episode started innocently enough. Joyner-Kersee was in the stands between her events when a fan spilled a beer on the two javelins that were underneath the heptathlete's seat.
As they were the only two javelins she had, Joyner-Kersee had them tested to determine whether they were legal and did not give them another thought until they were delivered to her moments before warm-ups for the event.
Realizing that the grips were still wet, she took advantage of the rule that allowed her to use a javelin belonging to one of the other women.
The best of her three throws was 139 feet 11 inches (42 meters 63.1 centimeters), fifth best among the eight competitors but still earning enough points to give her an almost insurmountable lead entering the final event, the 800 meters.
That was when Karashan approached her with an interpreter.
"He said, 'You used beer to give your javelins a glue effect so that you can get a better grip,'" she said later.
Joyner-Kersee defended herself, explaining, first, that the javelins were tested and cleared before the event and, second, that, even so, she did not use them. "He said, 'You broke the rules,'" Joyner-Kersee said.
"I said, 'You mean I'm disqualified?'"
"He said, 'Yes, you broke the rules. You're disqualified.'"
When Joyner-Kersee found her coach and husband, Bob Kersee, in the stands, she was in tears. Kersee charged onto the track, enraged.
Karashan said the interpreter had misinterpreted. What he had actually said, Karashan said, was that she risked disqualification if she ever entered another competition with a loaded javelin.
Unlike Joyner-Kersee, long-jumper Mike Powell saved his best effort for last, as the wind gave him an extra push and he leaped 27 feet, 8 1/2 inches.
Carl Lewis was serving as a television commentator during the event, so it was only fair that Powell was asked later to comment on Lewis.
"I jump whatever the weather, cold, wet, windy, hamstring sore, back sore," Powell said. "Whatever, I put it on the line. I don't think it's good that the Olympic champion wasn't out there to defend his title."
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