Baylor University Shines in 400 Meters in Eugene!

-From Eugene, Oregon

What about the Baylor University 400-meter crew? Two of the four semifinal heats were won by current or former quartermilers from “The U”.

Legendary Baylor coaches Clyde Hart and Michael Ford have as much, if not more, impact than anyone in the world on influencing a single event in the entire sport.

All five runners earned automatic bids to Monday’s semifinal round. The number one 400-meter runner in the world, Jeremy Wariner ,won his heat (46.04), and Baylor senior Quentin Inglehart-Summers (45.87) also won his heat. Former 1,600-meter relay Olympic gold medalist Darold Williamson (46.00) placed third in his heat, Sophmore LeGerald Betters (45.46) from Waco, Texas finished second in his heat and former Bear Reggie Witherspoon (45.94) also finished second in his heat.

Former University of Texas alum Sanya Richards won her heat in the women’s 400-meter semifinal. She trains under Coach Clyde Hart at the Baylor University track in Waco, Texas.

Is it possible to see four Baylor runners in the Team USA 1,600-meter relay pool in Beijing?

My First Guest Blog!

Michael Johnson looks on as Heisman Trophy runner-up and possible No. 1 overall pick Darren McFadden at the Michael Johnson Performance Center at Craig Ranch.

Guest blog leads to a deeper question.

From: SpeedEndurance.com and guest writer, Jay Hicks.

I wrote my first guest blog with byline at SpeedEndurance.com, "The NFL’s top candidates are hoping track legend, Michael Johnson’s sprinting wisdom brushes off on them. Two of the draft’s top running backs, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, are in a six-week training program for the scouting combine at the Michael Johnson Performance Center (MJPC) in McKinney, Texas, just north of Dallas."

The post is a must-read about the five-time Olympic sprint champ’s $20 million training facility for youth athletes, elite athletes, and professionals. Johnson also plans to host elite meets at the facility’s outdoor track.

Interesting.

Seriously, how long will it take the Dallas area native Jeremy Wariner to begin training part-time at MJ’s new spot once the outdoor track is complete? PRJ has recently learned that J Dub has purchased a home in Craig Ranch in McKinney, the same development where the MJPC resides.

Tensions must be sky high at the Baylor track since Jeremy Wariner split with Coach Clyde Hart and decided to train with Baylor assistant coach Michael Ford.

I’m not saying…I’m just saying!

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Wariner Stumbles In Season Opener

Wariner runs second at 200-meters in Sydney Grand Prix

The season opener didn’t go so hot for Jeremy Wariner. The Aussie, Daniel Batman, beat Wariner in the 200-meters at the Sydney Grand Prix in Australia. Batman led from the start and won in 20.81. Jeremy was second in 20.93.

J Dub's time was decent considering the early time of year, and a lost in the 200-meters means nothing. The 400 is his bread and butter.

"This is really just a tuneup race for me to see where I'm at with my training and what I need to work on," Wariner said.

However, the race won't be enough to satisfy the "do nothing" media. They will write that Wariner is off to a bad start since leaving Coach Hart and his career is ruined. That's garbage.

But this race sure didn't help him in the court of public opinion.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

J Dub Definitely Over Coaching Spat

Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner is preparing to break Michael's Johnson's 400-meter world record.

Jeremy Wariner has the track world talking again!

The 400-meter sprinter spoke with the press on Monday at a promotional event set up by Adidas in Beijing.

Jeremy refused to talk about last month’s coaching change, however he did take the opportunity to proclaim that his agent, Michael Johnson, might lose his status as the 400-meter world record holder in Beijing or possibly sooner. Last season, Wariner ran a personal best time of 43.45 and is rapidly getting closer to Johnson’s world record of 43.18.

"I'm looking forward to defending my title and hopefully breaking the world record," he said on Monday. "Honestly, if I haven't broken it before the Olympics, I know I can break it at the Olympics."

He and long-time Coach Clyde Hart split ways over a contract dispute in which Hart was offered less money to work in 2008. Despite what has been said by critics, J Dub does not regret the decision to train with new Baylor Assistant Coach Michael Ford.

Jeremy is currently preparing for his 2008 debut next week in Australia. He is no amateur at the Apollo.

He knows what it takes to win big.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Jeremy Wariner Has New Coach

Jeremy Wariner won the Men's 400m in a personal best time of 43.50 on August 7 at the DN Galan Meet in Stockholm, Sweden.

It didn’t take very long. Jeremy Wariner has switched to Baylor assistant coach Michael Ford—who coaches Wariner’s training partner and former teammate Darold Williamson.

Coach Clyde Hart announced yesterday he split with Wariner because of a contract dispute.

An official contract with Coach Ford has not been signed but the decision is not surprising. The move allows Jeremy to remain in Waco at the Baylor track and train in the system that has made him successful.

Coach Ford was a standout 400 meter runner at Baylor and has been an excellent track coach at the university for eight years. Ford is prepared to coach the planet’s fastest 400 meter runner.

Sure, this is a distraction today. It is likely that very little will change in the long run. Jeremy has a talented management team to steer his career that includes agent, Michael Johnson, and manager, Deon Minor, who was a two-time indoor NCAA 400-meter champion at Baylor.

Next week Wariner is headed to Beijing on Olympic publicity work, and then he is back to the Baylor track to work on winning Olympic gold and breaking the world record.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Wariner & Hart Splitsville

Jeremy Wariner clocks a time of 43.35 seconds to win 2004 Olympic Games

In a sport not known for break ups over money, Jeremy Wariner and long-time Coach Clyde Hart are no longer working together. The end of the relationship comes as the two parties are unable to settle on contract terms only seven months before the Olympics.

Labor disputes about compensation are commonplace in other sports, but these kinds of disputes are rarely heard about in track & field. While specifics were not released, Coach Hart reportedly was offered a less lucrative contract than in years past.

A coaching change may be a blow to some runners but Prerace Jitters believes that Jeremy’s passion to run and access to coaching guidance will probably not alter his Olympic year performance and overall career.

Meanwhile, Coach Hart undoubtly will have his hands full preparing Sanya Richards for her highly anticipated solo run at 400 meter gold in Beijing.

Disputes like this show the world how much money is at stake at the most elite levels of track & field. In this case, however, Prerace Jitters thinks that all involved parties will land on their feet.

Jeremy Wariner Kicking Off Season In Australia

Jeremy Wariner and his agent, Michael Johnson, recently announced in an IAAF interview, legendary track Coach Clyde Hart – who also guided Michael Johnson – swears this meet does not deviate from Wariner’s training schedule to defend his Olympic title in Beijing next year.

Wariner joins two more prominent runners at the Melbourne meet. Asafa Powell the 100-meter World Record holder announced last week that he will train and compete in the Melbourne meet, as will Darold Williamson, a fellow Baylor alum and member of the 2004 Olympic gold medal 4 x 400 meter relay.

Like other pro track runners the last few years, Wariner has skipped the indoor season entirely. The weather can be hit or miss when he traditionally kicks off his season with low key meets in March.

However, Wariner has shown in the past that he is bold and daring. For example, he has been running the 200-meters in major races to improve his speed to break the world record.

Whether he dips under 45 seconds in Australia’s warm weather will depend on how much training can be done before February.

Running in Melbourne that early in the season will definitely make for a long season but Wariner has already pulled off the nearly undoable triple crown – winning indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships and the Olympic gold medal during his last year at Baylor University.

Wariner plans to put on a show this upcoming season.

Fans will have to wait and see if Jeremy can strike gold again in Beijing and break Michael Johnson’s record of 43.18.

By Jay Hicks, aka Track Evangelist