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Wariner eyes world record - and more gold

EUGENE, Ore. - Before the men's 400-meter final last night, suspense surrounded Jeremy Wariner.

It wasn't a question of the wiry Texan with the trademark shades making the US Olympic team. The question was: Would Wariner win in world-record time at the US Olympic track and field trials? Given the fast Hayward Field track, rival LaShawn Merritt beside him, and fans buzzing around him, the setting seemed perfect for history.

But while last night belonged to Merritt, Wariner found himself facing a different kind of suspense. It is now much more uncertain he will repeat as Olympic champion.

Pulling away with 40 meters to go, Merritt (44.00 seconds) outkicked Wariner (44.20) to win the 400. The loss clearly disturbed Wariner, especially since it was the second time this season he has finished behind Merritt.

Wariner did not participate in the victory lap traditionally taken by all three Olympic qualifiers after a final. Also, he did not show at the postrace press conference.

So the stage is set for a dramatic showdown between Wariner and Merritt at the Beijing Olympics. In the women's 400, American record-holder Sanya Richards (49.89) won easily, defeating Mary Wineberg (50.85) and third-place finisher Dee Dee Trotter (50.99).

"I'm not surprised that I won," said Merritt. "I train to win. That's my motto. I didn't feel like I was the underdog coming in. This is what I do. Just like this is what he does. It was down to a fight and I won. In my mind, I'm always the favorite."

The Americans will be favorites to win gold next month. But Wariner knows he has a lot of work to do to beat Merritt, repeat as Olympic champion, and set a world record in the event.

"I want to be on top, so I've got to train harder," Wariner said last night. "I've got to move past my last loss. It's great to have a rival. He's going to make me work even harder. When I start getting down to the mid-43s, he's going to have to start PR-ing to beat me. I've just got to keep running how I've been running."

With an Olympic gold medal, two world championships, and a personal best of 43.45 seconds, Wariner thinks often about breaking the world record of 43.18 set by American Michael Johnson in 1999. Running curves with a smooth, graceful stride and finishing strong, Wariner makes each 400 look effortless. He appears poised to set standards in the 400 beyond a world record. Wariner is chasing history as well as Merritt these days.

Experience on his side

As the 24-year-old Wariner attempts to run in the 42-second range, Johnson will be watching from the sideline. Johnson doesn't worry about his record. Now, Johnson represents Wariner and cares about his client's success. Besides, being so close to Wariner, Johnson knows faster times are well within reach.

"I don't wake up every morning going, 'Yeah, I'm still the world record-holder and it's another great day because of that,' " said Johnson. "I've moved on in my life and I have other goals. One of those is helping athletes like Jeremy and other athletes I work with realize their dreams. It just happens in this particular case that one of my athlete's dreams is to break my world record.

"There's nothing that he needs to do differently mentally in order to run in the low 43s to break the world record. I'm not sure at this point whether Jeremy is the kind of person that can go out there and break the world record running by himself. Or if having someone like LaShawn is going to help him."

Focus on big picture

Following big races abroad, Johnson typically e-mails Wariner. Sometimes he sends advice. Sometimes congratulations. Sometimes reassurance after a subpar performance. But after Wariner placed second at the Berlin Golden League meet last month, he did not receive an e-mail from Johnson. Nothing. Total, unexpected silence. If ever there was a time Wariner needed advice or reassurance, it was then.

Wariner (44.07) was four-100ths of a second behind Merritt. Still, it was more than enough time to raise doubts about Wariner's preparation for the Olympics. It was obvious he didn't have his usual finishing kick.

Wariner has reached a point in his career where second place comes as a surprise, an indication of something amiss. In an Olympic year, some athletes might panic with a disappointing result. But the loss in Berlin may have been just what Wariner needed to narrow his focus on defense of his Olympic title. And Johnson needed Wariner to figure that out.

Beaten favorite

When asked what he learned from the race, Wariner said, "That I got beat. Other than that, my race was still the same. I ran the same exact race there that I did in Oslo. The only thing different was that my fitness was a little bit better in Oslo. I learned that I just have to stay focused on what I need to do."

Johnson wanted to hear what Wariner said. He wanted to make sure Wariner saw the bigger (Olympic) picture, that a second-place finish didn't affect his confidence, that the loss wouldn't fuel doubt in a training program designed for peaks at the trials and Games. For Johnson, Berlin provided insight into Wariner's competitive character, discipline, and drive.

"If Jeremy had run 44 flat [in Berlin] and won, everybody would say, 'My God, he's ready,' " said Johnson. "But because someone finished ahead of him, everyone else panicked. I wanted to make sure he didn't. And he didn't." It might be a slightly different story now. Meanwhile, Merritt gained confidence and extra motivation from his trials victory and his first-place finish in Berlin, just as he had from his second-place finish at the 2007 world championships in Osaka.

"Coming in second, I felt I was one spot away from being first in the world," said Merritt. "I've been training hard to be No. 1 ever since the world championships last year. I said, 'This year, I'm going to be No. 1,' and that's what I've been training to do. So, nothing coming is a surprise to me. The main focus here was to make the team. I'll go back home, celebrate a little bit, not so much for winning, more for going to my first Olympics."

Quick changes

Just four years ago, Wariner arrived in Sacramento for the trials hoping to make the US Olympic team for the first time. He figured it would be in the 4 x 400 relay. When he left the trials, Wariner was the 400-meter champion with little idea how his life would change in the coming weeks. Wariner entered this year's trials knowing there was a "big target" on his back. But that didn't stop him from talking about his chances in Beijing.

For almost any other athlete, such talk could come across as arrogant. But as Wariner dissected the strengths and weaknesses of how he races, he made it sound matter-of-fact. Wariner believes it will take a "perfect race" to win the gold medal again.

"I'm going to have to run a lot faster than I have, and have more strength than I have," said Wariner. "It's going to take a lot of hard work at practice, try to stay focused on what I need to do, not be distracted by anything."

Getting up to speed

Wariner takes pride in the way he runs the final 200 of each race, the way he works the turn, then efficiently kicks toward the finish, but he knows he needs to improve his start. The quicker Wariner can settle into race pace, the better his race sets up. Johnson advises Wariner about his starts, but leaves the rest of the training to new coach Michael Ford.

"We talk about race strategy," said Johnson. "We try to find the little areas where he's going to be able to pick up a little time, where he's going to need to improve to break the world record.

"[The start] is something I've been working on with him, that we've been spending a lot of time on. Not as much time as we probably need to and probably eventually will. But that's one of the areas to get the race started and get him up to speed as quickly as possible. He's going to take off a couple of 10ths there eventually."

A couple 10ths of a second separated Merritt and Wariner last night, adding more suspense to a likely rematch in the men's Olympic 400 final.

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.