Jeremy Wariner

Article written just before Osaka

Wariner gaining ground on mentor's mark 

Saturday, August 25, 2007

By Brice Cherry

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Despite spotting his mentor a 17-year head start, Jeremy Wariner is gaining ground in his chase of Michael Johnson.

Since turning professional after winning the Olympic gold medal in 2004, Wariner has steadily chipped away at the gap between himself and Johnson, his agent and the fellow Baylor legend who holds the world record in the 400 at 43.18 seconds.

Wariner’s latest burst came on Aug. 7 in Stockholm, Sweden, when he whisked around the oval in an incredible 43.50 clocking, a personal record and the sixth-best 400 time in history.

Only two men have ever completed one lap around the track faster than Wariner: Butch Reynolds and Johnson.

Ready or not, the chase is on.

“Right now I think he’s on top of the game,” said Clyde Hart, the Baylor track legend who serves as Wariner’s personal coach, just as he did for Johnson. “But, again, you’ve got some very good runners out there who have run low 44s, so you can’t make a mistake. You can’t not run your own race. Conditioning and the mental aspect are important, but you’ve still got to execute your own race. Jeremy has been very good about doing that, so that’s not something that’s a big concern.

“Jeremy just seems to be a money runner, a guy that’s at his best when it counts.”

It’ll count for sure over the next week. The World Championships get under way today in Osaka, Japan, and Wariner, the reigning world champ, will take the track for the preliminaries on Tuesday as the prohibitive favorite to claim another gold medal.

If his performance in Sweden is any indication, Wariner is poised to add another exquisite gem to his jewelry collection. Before he ever stepped into the starting blocks in Stockholm, Wariner — who won a diamond worth $10,000 for breaking the track record — had a notion that he was about to post the best time of his life.

“I knew I was around to run a 43,” he said. “I talked to my manager (Deon Minor) before the race and I kind of told him, ‘I have a feeling something crazy is about to happen. I’m going to run something crazy.’ I didn’t know it would be that fast, but I had a feeling it was going to be a 43.”

Wariner snatched the lead on the final curve, then pulled away from the field on the straightaway, seemingly gaining speed with every stride.

“It wasn’t a performance where he was fully extended,” Hart said. “That’s the thing, 43.5, just looking at it, he wasn’t pushed. He didn’t really strain at the end, so it was an easy 43.5. That’s the most important thing — the way he ran it.”

It’s no secret Wariner craves the record. When he finishes off a race, he immediately turns his head to the scoreboard and fixates his sunglasses-shaded eyes on his time, almost as a reflex. He yearns for that moment when he’ll see his name next to a time of 43.17 — or less.

So what drives him more — the world record or winning?

“Winning, definitely,” Wariner said. “The records are just more motivation to help me train harder. Of course I want to win, but at the same time I need to make sure I’m running good times. I’m always going to work harder at practice so I get the victory, and at the same time I get better times.”

“Winning is what it is all about,” Hart said. “You can’t really set a day and say, ‘I’m going to break the world record.’ Although we did that in ’99, but you’re talking about a guy (in Johnson) who had 15 years of experience and was running out of time. Jeremy is 23 years old. That’s not the case.”

His propensity to reach the top of the medal stand is, after all, why Wariner has a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas, among other companies. He is one of the bright, shining faces of American track and field, a self-made speedster in a sport riddled with athletes willing to cut all kinds of pharmaceutical corners to get ahead.

He is Jeremy Wariner — national champion, world champion, Olympic gold medalist.

And maybe someday soon, world-record holder.

“Jeremy has been in the ballpark for a couple of years now,” Hart said. “He’s not in the outfield, he’s up at the plate. When you’re a third of a second away, you can’t even snap your fingers that fast. That’s how far away he is from the record, a third of a second.”

Watch out, Michael Johnson — a hungry Bear is nipping at your heels.

bcherry@wacotrib.com

 http://www.wacotrib.com/hp/content/sports/college/2007/08/25/08252007wacjeremy.html