THE MOMENT BEFORE HE SETTLES into the starting blocks is when it happens.
The 22 year-old American phenom touches his fingers to his lips, kisses them, and points to the sky. To his older brother, Antwan, who passed away nearly a decade before.
It is scarcely noticeable, but more than anything else – more than his speed, more than his fierce determination to dominate the 400 meters and become a world champion – the gesture conveys what lies at the heart of LaShawn Merritt.
Early Life
Born on June 27, 1986, LaShawn was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and from the very beginning, he was fast. As a child, LaShawn excelled in football and music – his first loves – but as his father, Owen, recalled, speed was the quality that stood out. As he told Virginian-Pilot in 2005: "Once he put his head back, he was gone."
LaShawn and his older brother were inseparable as children. Antwan served as so many things for his younger sibling as they grew up: protector, running partner, idol. LaShawn was determined to follow in his brother’s footsteps in whatever he chose to do.
"Antwan was someone LaShawn looked up to," his mother, Brenda, told the Virginian-Pilot. "When Twan played football, LaShawn played football. When Twan played the Trumpet, LaShawn played it too."
The boys remained attached at the hip until Antwan went away to college at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999.
A Hero Lost
In November 1999, the Merritts received earth-shattering news: Antwan had died, falling from a dorm room window at Shaw University.
The family was devastated.
LaShawn searched for something to ease his pain. He found it in his freshman year of high school, when he gave up baseball and decided to go out for track.
"When God takes away something, He gives you something else," his mother told the Pilot. "And I think it was track because it kept LaShawn busy and kept us going."
High School Legend
From the moment LaShawn stepped on the track at Wilson High School, his immense talent could not be denied.
As a junior, he won the Group AAA state title in the 400 meters, and finished runner-up in the 100 and 200. While most would consider that an amazing season, LaShawn knew he could do more.
That summer, he met Dwayne Miller, a local AAU track coach. The two formed a bond, and went to an Olympic Development Camp in California together to help hone his skills and technique.
The results were astounding.
The 2004 track season was a banner year for LaShawn, who was being recruited by the top college track programs in the nation, including Texas A&M and Tennessee. He did not disappoint his suitors, becoming the first male athlete in state history to win the 55, 300 and 500 meters at the Group AAA state indoor meet in March. His winning time of 1:04.9 in the 500 meters was the top time in the nation for high school sprinters.
By the end of the indoor season, he had posted national top-ten times in the 55, 200, 300, 400, and 500 meters.
At the Nike Indoor Classic in Maryland, LaShawn dominated the 400 meters, posting a time of 47.88 – the fifth-fastest high school time in the nation. But it what he did after his first victory of the meet left spectators slacked-jawed.
While most athletes participated in one event, LaShawn competed in a second event, the 200 meters. The result: another victory, making him the first athlete in the history of the event to win two races.
"He ran against two of the most talented fields put together in one meet and won both races," Michael Byrnes, co-founder of the Indoor Classic said. "That’s awesome. That’s absolutely awesome."
His unprecedented run didn’t stop there. In June, he became the third male athlete in Virginia State history to win the 100, 200, and 400-meter state outdoor titles.
Throughout that remarkable year, LaShawn was driven by an unmistakable presence: Antwan.
"When I was in high school, when I was running, it was like an out-of-body experience," LaShawn recently told the Philadelphia Daily News. "It was like both of us were running."
Bound for East Carolina
His senior year now complete, LaShawn was now ready to attend college in the fall. He accepted a scholarship at East Carolina University – a shock to some, but to those who knew him, hardly surprising.
East Carolina coach Bill Carson had a reputation for making 200 and 400-meter runners faster.
"Me and Coach Carson clicked," LaShawn said. "It’s really all about being comfortable. I felt comfortable with the team, coaches and the school."
As always, family was also a concern for LaShawn, and remaining close to home was good, too.
The decision paid dividends immediately. An 18-year old freshman, LaShawn traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to run the 400 meters in the Tyson Invitational. The field included two Olympic medalists, a world champion and a national champion.
LaShawn won his race in 44.93, the second-fastest indoor time ever, and the fastest time ever run by an athlete 19 years-old or younger.
Later that summer, the world got a glimpse of its newest track phenom. In the World Junior Championships in Italy, LaShawn dominated his three events, winning gold in the 400 meters, and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Not long after, he was named USA Track and Field’s Youth Athlete of the Year.
A Dream Comes True
Within weeks of his triumphs at the World Junior Championships, Nike offered LaShawn an endorsement contract, calling Merritt an "amazing" athlete that they were "thrilled" to have as a member of their family.
LaShawn had an outstanding beginning to his professional career, winning gold in the 4x400 relay at the World Indoor Championships, bronze in the 400 meters at the World Athletics Final, and two more gold medals in the same events at the World Cup – all in 2006.
His star shining brighter by the day, he followed his banner year with silver at the IAFF World Championships, and gold in the 400 at the World Athletics Final in 2007.
LaShawn had officially arrived as a bonafide star, and a legitimate contender for the gold in the upcoming 2008 Olympics.
Destination: Beijing
The best athletes often have a rival who forces them to compete at the highest level. For LaShawn, that man is Jeremy Wariner, the defending Olympic champion in the 400 meters.
Though Wariner had dominated the 400 meters since winning the Athens Games, LaShawn has dramatically closed the gap in recent months – so much so that many consider Virginian’s finest the main threat to Wariner’s repeat bid in Beijing.
That was never more evident than in July of 2008, when LaShawn won the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. It was his second victory in three races over Wariner, setting the stage for a dramatic final at the Olympics on August 21.
Though they are rivals on the track, LaShawn insists there are no hard feelings between him and his fellow countryman Warriner.
"We’re not enemies, we’re competitors," Merritt told the Daily Press. "Neither one of us are poor sportsmen. At the end of the day, it’s ok, we’re gonna line up, I’m gonna try my best to win, he’s gonna try his best to win. When we cross the finish line, whoever wins was the best person that day."
The Future
Beijing is just the beginning.
With his immense talent, LaShawn should be a fixture on the world stage for years to come. With his humility, drive and enthusiasm, success off the track seems on the horizon as well.
Regardless, one thing will remain a constant.
"Everything I do, I’m trying to do it for Antwan," said LaShawn. "That’s all I think about when I run…I know he’ll be there with me.
