Harvard's heavyweight crew, top contender to represent the United States in the Olympics, recovered from a poor start to edge the Vesper Boat Club, its foremost challenger, in a 2000-meter race Saturday in Pelham Manor, N.Y.

In its last major test before the Olympic trials in mid-July, Harvard fell quickly behind Vesper. At the halfway point on the Orchard Beach Lagoon course, Vesper held off a Harvard challenge, but the Crimson boat poured it on over the last 500 or 600 meters to win by a length and a half.

Harvard was clocked in 6:36.8 in its first Olympic-distant race since May 11. Vesper finished in 6:42.6.

At the start, Harvard almost did not move at all. Captain Curt Canning said afterwards that the Crimson was three-quarters of a length behind right away. Harvard was caught in a dip and its shell rolled first to port then to starboard.

The Crimson made its first challenge at the half-way mark, pulling even with Vesper or even ahead by a foot with 20 power strokes, but Vesper opened up again a lead of half a length. At the 1500 meter mark, however, Harvard moved even at 37 strokes a minute, and gradually glided ahead. Harvard finished at 36, Vesper at 351/2, with the winners 5.8 seconds ahead.

"It was not a very satisfying race," captain Canning said afterwards. "At Long Beach we'll be more aware of our starts."

In the Olympic Trials at Long Beach beginning July 12, Harvard once again faces Vesper, and also must deal with another power, Penn. The fourth crew thus far entered, Univ. of Washington, is the best in the west. Harvard was the favorite before Saturday, and is even a better bet now.

Vesper represented the United States in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, and two members of that Olympic team are still in the boat. But for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Harvard began to build last year. After a somewhat poor fourth in the North American championships, the heavies recovered to finish second in the European championships to West Germany's Ratzeberg crew. Now, in their training room along the Charles River, the Harvard crew members have Mexican travel posters on the wall, and a printed sign on the shower-room door: "On to the Olympics."

The members of the Harvard boat are bow, Dave Higgins; 2, Cleve Livingston; 3, Steve Brooks; 4, Fritz Hobbs; 5, Scott Steketee; 6, Andy Larkin; 7, Curt Canning; stroke, Art Evans; cox, Paul Hoffman.