Wariner shakes off loss, eyes world mark and Beijing gold
EUGENE, Oregon (AFP) — Reigning world and Olympic 400-meter champion Jeremy Wariner enters the US Olympic Track and Field Trials focused on Beijing gold and aiming at a world record despite an upset loss four weeks ago.
Wariner, who owns the fastest time in the world this year with a victory at Oslo in 43.98 seconds, seeks a Beijing Olympic berth in Thursday's 400 final after opening his quest in Sunday's quarter-final ahead of Monday's semi-final.
"The thing that's driving me is that I want to defend my title at the Olympics," Wariner said Saturday. "But also in my mind is the world record."
That target is two-time Olympic 400m champion Michael Johnson's 43.18 run at Seville in 1999. Wariner, 24, ran his personal best of 43.45, the third-fastest run in history, to win last year's world title at Osaka.
"I want to be the first to hit 42 seconds. Every day I step on the track I work harder to try and accomplish that," Wariner said.
"I know it's within reach as early as I have reached 43 seconds. Once I get my strength peak I know I can get it."
But Wariner suffered a setback on June 1 at Berlin, losing to US rival LaShawn Merritt for only the second time in 13 meetings. Merritt won in 44.03 with Wariner second in 44.07.
"I wasn't startled. There have been a few races where he was ahead of me after 300 meters," Wariner said.
"When I tried to kick for my finish, I didn't go nowhere. I didn't have a finish like I usually did. But a week later in Oslo I had it. I just have to adjust my training so I have that kick consistently.
"I'm not worried about Berlin. It happened a long time ago. I stopped worrying about that the day after the race."
But Wariner learned something from the loss that helped him record his fastest time so early in a season at Oslo.
"I learned I got beat," he said. "I ran the same race as I did in Oslo. My fitness was a bit better in Oslo. I had a little more left at the end. I learned I have got to just stay focused on what I'm trying to do."
Wariner dropped coach Clyde Hart, known for his work with Johnson, for current coach Michael Ford in January. Ford had recruited Wariner to Hart's program at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
"I felt I needed a change. Coach Hart is looking at retirement. He's a little older," Wariner said.
"I knew I had to find someone who believes in the same things and I found coach Ford. He knows everything I did and I felt like that would be important. I know if I need to ask coach Hart anything, he will be there to answer it."
Nothing else has changed in Wariner's workout regimen.
"We're still doing the same things on the track. The workouts are exactly the same," Wariner said. "Training has been going good. I'm feeling stronger and faster right now.
"My expectations are to go out there and win, to show I'm the number one quarter-miler out there and it's going to take a lot to beat me."
Wariner plans to run at Paris and Rome and in one other Golden League event between now and Beijing.
"I'm just going to train hard and focus on the Olympics," he said.
