A Marquee Matchup
by Ruth Frantz
In just days, LaShawn Merritt will suit up for the 400m prelims, hoping to best rival and fellow U.S. Olympic team member Jeremy Wariner. Again.
A NEW FACE FOR THE 400?
Wariner had not lost a 400m race for over a year until LaShawn beat him in Berlin in early June. Then, at the US Olympic team trials in Eugene on July 3, he defeated Wariner by two tenths of a second, 44.00 to 44.20.
When asked about potentially being the new face of the 400 meters, Virginia's best said:
"It can be pressure for some people....I try not to think too much about it. I just go out and run to my best."
LASHAWN ON THE MIND
As far as Wariner goes, he's spending a good deal of time thinking about LaShawn, according to ESPN.com.
[Wariner] has a reason to concentrate: Teammate LaShawn Merritt beat Wariner twice this summer, including at the Olympic trials. Wariner has defeated Merritt twice since, and his agent, Michael Johnson, says he's learned from it.
"He made a small mistake in his first loss in Berlin, and there were articles coming out saying, 'Is LaShawn taking over?'" Johnson said. "And Jeremy was reading that, and making adjustments to his race that he didn't need to make. He definitely made an adjustment at the trials that had me all over him about it, and his coach Michael Ford, too. It was like, 'What was that? Why did you do that?'"
Wariner admitted Wednesday that he had changed his race strategy by letting Merritt get too far out in front in the early part of the trials race instead of pushing himself harder through the first 200 meters. "The loss at the trials did a lot for me," he says. "I know how hard LaShawn's working, and it's made me work harder, staying focused."
RELATED LINKS
Americans are ready to run (Contra Costa Times, August 13th, 2008)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/sports/ci_10190677
Aug. 13: Wariner not much fun at parties (ESPN.com, August 13th, 2008)
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3533068&name=olympics...
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