Meter

Paralympics McFadden 1st in preliminary round of 800 meters T54 Tatyana McFadden (Atholton) won Round 1 of the women's 800 meters T54 at the London Paralympics on Tuesday, finishing in 1 minute, 47.66 seconds. She will compete in the final today. Women's swimming: Jessica Long , formerly of Middle River, won the silver medal in the 100 backstroke S8. Long surged from third place at the halfway mark and finished in 1:18.67. Earlier in the day, she won the heat in 1:21.75.

Matt Centrowitz Sr. does not recall ever sitting down with his son Matthew to regale him with tales of being an Olympian, or to explain the thrill and responsibility of representing the United States on the world's most-watched athletic stage. They never needed that sort of session. Running, and doing so at the highest levels, was a constant currency in the Centrowitz house, one that streamed through everything. Matthew never had to ask about the Olympics; the men his father spoke to, who came to family gatherings, who were at the other end of vacation trips, so many of them had been there.

Melvin Stewart broke the world record in the men's 200-meter butterfly yesterday at the World Swimming Championships at Perth, Australia, and ended the eight-year reign of Michael Gross atop the event.Stewart overcame Gross' early lead with a burst in the final 50 meters and finished in 1 minute, 55.69 seconds.The come-from-behind victory clipped .55 seconds off Gross' world mark, set in 1986."When I looked up and saw 1:55 on the scoreboard, I thought, 'Wow, I did that,' " Stewart said.The next-to-last night of the meet was a highlight for the American team.

Earl S. Highter Sr., a retired Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. meter inspector, died Monday of acute hepatitis at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 63. Born in Norfolk, Va., he served in the Air Force in Guam and South Korea. He moved to Baltimore in 1968 and was a meter inspector until retiring last year. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Jones Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2100 W. Baltimore St. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, the former Lorraine Shirley Howard; a son, Earl Highter Jr. of Baltimore; three daughters, Cecilia Vandervall and Corinthia Davis of Baltimore and Trevillian Highter of High Point, N.C.; his father, Nazareth Highter of Norfolk; three brothers, Alfred Highter and Ricky Highter of Norfolk, and John Highter of Baltimore; two sisters, Frances Hughy of Norfolk and Evelyn Jollif of St. Louis; eight grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

Some of the same city officials engineering a crackdown on illegal parking downtown pull up at the curb not far from their offices every day and never have to feed a meter. That seemingly small perk could be costing the city big money, budget figures show.At least 205 judges, prosecutors, board and commission members, City Council members, state officials and municipal bureaucrats have free, reserved curbside spaces scattered around City Hall and other downtown sites, an afternoon's stroll showed.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Despite an injury in her upper right leg, Gwen Torrence won the 100-meter race of the USA/Mobil Outdoor Track and Field championships last night at Hughes Stadium.Torrence won easily, taking the lead midway through the race and finishing in 11.04 seconds. Carlette Guidry was second in 11.12 and Celena Mondie-Milner third in 11.22 in only the second sunny day of the meet.Nearly 10 minutes later, Mike Marsh won the men's 100-meter race, edging Maurice Greene and Dennis Mitchell at the line.

THE PROBLEM : A Stoneleigh parking space lacked a meter, yet drivers were still ticketed for parking there. THE BACKSTORY: Pam Somerville, the owner of Gratitudes gift shop on York Road, keeps dimes on her store counter and a sign on her door reminding customers to feed their meters. But she and others still received tickets for parking in one space in front of her store, even though there was no meter to feed. The meter at that spot was aligned with the stripe between the two spaces but was angled to face the one to the north, leaving the other uncontrolled.

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina -- Dean Panaro won his first international event and the first U.S. diving gold in three tries, capturing the 1-meter event yesterday.Meanwhile, U.S. swimmers won four of five races, giving them 14 golds in 20 events, and the shooting team contributed five golds and 10 medals overall.Josh Davis of San Antonio won the 400-meter freestyle and swam a leg on the victorious 400 freestyle relay that set a Pan Am record. Seth van Neerden of Wilmington, Del., won his second individual gold by capturing the 200 breaststroke.

OMAHA, Neb. -- In the eyes of the world, Katie Hoff has always been a great swimmer. That was obvious, even when she was 14 years old. But at age 19, on the eve of her second Olympic Games, Hoff has become something more. Something that cannot be taught and cannot be acquired even with hours of training. She has become an elite racer. There is a difference between the two, swimmer and racer, and it is becoming increasingly evident - especially after last night's performance at the U.S. Olympic trials - that Hoff is mastering the latter.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Baltimore's James Carter booked his ticket to the Athens Games with a stirring, come-from-behind triumph yesterday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. Carter, a 1996 Mervo graduate who trains in Hampton, Va., rallied over the final two three-foot barriers to win the men's 400-meter hurdles final in 47.68 seconds, fastest time in the world this year, at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. "I've been thinking about this race for the last four years, and it couldn't have worked out any better," he said.