I found Keith Noel's article of Sunday, October 18 titled 'A good year for track and field?' to be quite informative, fresh and well presented. But, as in any literature there are some inaccuracies, and I would like to point out a few of them. First, it is states that Valerie Brisco-Hooks came out of nowhere to win Olympic gold in 21.81 and 48.83 in the 200 and 400 events respectively, in 1984 that "she stopped running right after". Not quite true. Brisco-Hooks continued performing until at least 1988 when she won a silver in the Olympic 4x400 relay for the US. In between, she won a World Championships 400-metre gold in 1985, and set an indoor 400-metre record.

The facts

Second, the article states that Florence Griffith-Joyner "set world records of 21.34 and 10.62 in Seoul"; not quite accurate! Flo-Jo did set that 200 record of 21.34 in Seoul, but the 100-metre time was set during the US Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, which of course preceded the 1988 Games in South Korea. Although Flo-Jo was there or thereabouts before her 1988 heroics, she effectively retired after those games, running some uninspired races in early 1989.

Yes, the new strongwoman of the 100 metres Carmelita Jeter, is now powerfully built and I always believed that she and the current US male equivalent are, well, in a class by themselves! To steal a line from Evelyn Ashford after losing the 100-metre final to Flo-Jo in 1988 said: "She is a phenomenon; it will take a man to beat her." I think, with due respect to the Jamaican sprint queens who are splendidly and superbly ready, it will take a man to beat 'CarJet'.

I am, etc.,

O'NEIL CLAYTON

O'Neil.Clayton@parks.nyc.gov