Wachtel Sets 800 Record

Christine Wachtel of East Germany set an indoor world record in the women’s 800 meters for the second time in four days, running a 1:56.40 at an international meet at Vienna, Austria.

On Wednesday, Wachtel broke the previous mark of 1:58.40, held by Olga Vakhrusheva of the Soviet Union, by running a 1:57.64 at Turin, Italy.

Another East German athlete, Heike Drechsler, improved her own world long jump record with a distance of 24-2. She set the previous mark of 24- at a meet in New York on Feb. 27, 1987.

Ronald Weigel, also of East Germany, set a world record in the men’s 5,000-meter walk with a time of 18:11.41. Mikhail Schennilov of the Soviet Union held the previous record of 18:27.79.