Gardena’s Giddens Qualifies in 3 Events

If Morris Giddens had a choice, the Gardena senior would have preferred to run only one event at the City Section preliminaries Thursday at Birmingham High.

As it turned out, Giddens, the defending 3,200-meter champion, qualified in three to put himself in position to become only the second runner to win City titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in the same season.

Roman Gomez of Belmont, the State champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 in 1984 and 1985, accomplished the feat as a senior in 1985.

Giddens had the fastest qualifying time in the 800 and 3,200, clocking 1 minute 56.64 seconds and 9:32.9. He also won his heat of the 1,600 in 4:26.26.

Giddens won all three events at the Southern Pacific Conference finals, setting conference records in the 800 and 1,600. At the 1992 City championships, Giddens won the 3,200 and placed second in the 1,600.

“I can’t say I wanted to run all three today, but it was a coaching decision,” Giddens said. “I think I can be pretty successful in the 800, but it takes away from my kick in the 1,600 and takes my strength for the 3,200.”

It did not seem to weaken Giddens on Thursday.

He broke from a pack of five runners with a little more than 800 meters to go in the 3,200 and then held off a challenge from Fred Bailon of Garfield in the final 200 meters.

“He didn’t want to run in three events, but I told him he could win all three,” Coach Al Hearvey said. “Now he’s beginning to see he can do it.”

Giddens pulled away from Carson’s Rick McCray in the 800 and surged from Jaime Moreno with 200 meters left to win the 1,600. Giddens’ time in the 1,600 was the fourth fastest.

Sophomore Peter Gilmore of Palisades (4:23.78), Bailon (4:23.93) and Jorge Perea of Huntington Park (4:25.59) finished ahead of Giddens.

The top eight in the 800 and the top 12 in the 3,200 advanced to the finals.

Teammate Charles Gates, the defending City 100 champion, pulled a hamstring in the Southern Pacific Conference finals and did not qualify in the 100 or 200.

He ran the anchor on Gardena’s 400 relay team, which finished second in its heat in 44.02 but failed to qualify. Gates, who transferred from Locke to Gardena last month, did not run on the Mohicans’ 1,600 relay team.

The Westchester girls’ 1,600 relay team of Terron Hill, Keisha Davis, Rori Kelly and Kerri Webb finished second in a school-record 4:07.41.

Lavon Wade of Gardena had the best mark in the girls’ triple jump, bounding 37-feet-2 3/4, and won her heat of the 400 in 59.05--the second-fastest time.