OLYMPICS: The Games: Up in the Air

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The final week of the Montreal Olympics will inevitably add its quota of such human errata to the history of the Games. But the main text will be provided by the track and field athletes performing in the $700 million concrete stadium that hovers over the Olympic Park like the fossil of some monstrous crustacean. And immediately the absence of Black Africa's runners was felt. In the first day of track heats, New Zealand's John Walker, the world's fastest miler, failed even to qualify for the 800-meter semifinals. This was only a tune-up for the 1,500-meter race Walker runs this Saturday—an event that will not include Tanzania's record-holding Filbert Bayi—but the poor showing still was unexpected. "I wish Bayi were here," said Walker. "I lost my pacemaker."

Russia's Valery Borzov, 26, the defending champion in the 100 meters, had the opposite problem—plenty of pacemakers. After flirting with withdrawal, Jamaica decided to keep its engagement in Montreal, leaving Don Quarrie, a current world record holder, in the race. In, too, was Trinidad's Hasely Crawford, 25, who won the 100-yard dash for Eastern Michigan University in last year's NCAA Championships. And stalking Borzov most obviously was Harvey Glance, a 19-year-old freshman from Auburn University. Glance won Friday's heat with the day's fastest time (10:23), and beat Borzov in the semifinals Saturday morning, but the finals were a different matter. Off the blocks first was Trinidad's Crawford, and there he stayed, fighting off Borzov midway, then Quarrie at the wire in 10:06. Borzov and Glance were third and fourth, as one of the Olympics' smallest countries ran off with a big gold.

The second week of women's events promised to bear a marked resemblance to the first. The East German women, holders of seven of the 14 records in track and field, took an immediate giant step forward when Angela Voigt, 25, won the long jump with a leap of 22 ft. ½ in. Right behind Voigt, and indeed, perhaps past her if she had not, fouled on her last try, was high-flying Kathy McMillan, 18, of Raeford, N.C. Not since 1968 at Mexico City had the U.S. women won a silver or gold. Saturday afternoon the East German lightning was hurled by Ruth Fuchs, 29, who dramatically speared the hopes of U.S. Champion Kathy Schmidt with an Olympic-record javelin throw of 216 ft. 4 in. Schmidt's best, 209 ft. 10 in., came on her last chance, and won the bronze.

Meanwhile, her work over and her medals packed, Nadia Comaneci, the solemn muse of the Games, could leave for a Black Sea vacation with little concern that the second week of the Olympics would produce a star to outshine her. One cannot expect perfection too often.