Going around again

Wariner, Merritt will duel in 400

Defending gold medalist Jeremy Wariner (left) enjoys the push he gets from his countryman and rival, young LaShawn Merritt. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press (Wariner); Thomas Kienzie/Associated Press (Merritt))

BEIJING - In the ultimate compliment, 400-meter world record-holder Michael Johnson predicted LaShawn Merritt would run a personal best at the Beijing Olympics. Watching Merritt compete against his client, Jeremy Wariner, this season, Johnson saw an athlete with growing confidence and speed. Merritt had learned to control his races and beat Wariner in the process.

"Mark my words, LaShawn is going to run a personal best here," said Johnson moments after attending a press conference for Wariner. "Jeremy knows it. I know it. LaShawn is going to run fast. He is going to run 43 seconds here. There is no doubt about it."

It was all very flattering for Merritt, especially considering the source. But the comments also carried more than a hint of gamesmanship. Merritt has emerged the biggest threat to defending Olympic 400 champion Wariner in the final tomorrow night. Johnson's remarks shifted more focus on Merritt and placed high expectations on the 22-year-old. Johnson tried to encourage the Wariner-Merritt rivalry, though both runners sometimes prefer to dance around the subject.

In the buildup to what could be a record-setting final, Wariner has been rightfully cast as the favorite. The reigning Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, and owner of the year's fastest time (43.86 seconds) has more than earned his exalted status. But with a pair of victories against Wariner this season, Merritt has gone from upstart and underdog to legitimate gold medal contender. He can do more than push Wariner to better performances. Judging from the fast times Wariner and Merritt ran in qualifying heats with relative ease, the final will be a 43-second thriller.

"For me, it's great to have a rivalry," said Wariner. "For one, it makes me train harder. When I step on the track and practice, I know that LaShawn would be there, working as hard as I'm doing. In my mind, I'm thinking, 'I have to work harder than he would.' Every time I step on the track, I give it my all, no matter whether I'm tired or I'm hurt. I'm always getting on the track, stepping up to what I need to do. It helps the sport knowing that when we race each other, [fans] are looking forward to that race. We never back down or away from each other. We always compete no matter what meet it is or where it's at."

Or, as Merritt said of the upcoming Olympic final, "It's time to showdown and throw down."

Trials and errors

Merritt sounds less than convincing when he denies a rivalry with Wariner, preferring to talk about the talent of all eight runners in the final. He seems slightly aggravated when questions keep coming back to Wariner. While the rivalry talk puts Merritt in a favorable competitive light, it also defines him and his young career. His accomplishments often are viewed in comparison to what Wariner does.

Although semifinal heats are not the place to make statements, Merritt did just that in qualifying for the Olympic final. In the first semifinal heat, Wariner easily ran 44.15, fine-tuning his opening 200 meters and shutting it down with 50 meters left. In the last semifinal heat, Merritt ran with similar ease and finished in 44.12. Both times sent gasps through the crowd of 91,000 at the National Stadium and increased anticipation of the final.

"I don't feel that there's a rivalry, but I do respect him," said Merritt. "He's not the only person who's going to be in the finals of the 400. I've been training to be No. 1.The underdogs always train a lot harder than the person who's on top because they want it that much more. Then, the people on top train that much harder to keep their spot. Everybody's training hard. Everybody's hungry. It's going to come down to that day."

At the US Olympic trials in July, the 400 final belonged to Merritt. With talk of Wariner setting a world record, Merritt stole the spotlight, pulling away with 40 meters to go. Wariner was so upset with how he raced he failed to show for the news conference. It was the second time in less than six weeks that Merritt defeated Wariner. While the track world wondered if a second Olympic title for Wariner was in serious jeopardy, he had no doubts about his ability to be ready and beat Merritt when it mattered most. Wariner knew he made fixable mistakes in both losses to Merritt.

"He didn't run his race," said Johnson. "That whole race was based on what LaShawn was doing and not on what Jeremy normally does."

Wariner typically asserts his presence during the final 200 of each race, working the turn then efficiently kicking toward the finish. At the trials, Wariner let Merritt get away from him on the backstretch. Instead of starting to work hard over the final 200, Wariner waited until there were 150 left. By that time, it was too late to catch Merritt.

"The loss did a lot," said Wariner. "It made me think that I needed to work even harder to get back to where I was before that. I worked even harder staying focused, correcting what I did wrong."

Merritt considers the 400 a "long sprint" and constantly checks himself during races, making sure he stays mentally and physically in the best position. Before races, he studies his opponents intensely, learning their strengths and weaknesses. After finishing his first qualifying heat in Beijing, Merritt watched Wariner run.

"Certain people are going to get out harder," said Merritt. "Certain people are stronger finishers. If you're beside this person or that person is in your view, you've got to know. It's all about going out and running your race, but still having knowledge about what's going on in the field.

"I'm not the type of person who goes into a race looking for a time. Times come to you. That's how I always feel. It's all about getting in a race, running a smart race, running your own race, and crossing the line first. If everything is going well, [the winning time] should be well under 44 seconds. But I'm not the type to go into a race predicting the time. I'm just looking for a victory."

Legacies on line

When Wariner was winning the Olympic title in Athens, Merritt was only months removed from his graduation at Woodrow Wilson High in Portsmouth, Va. While Wariner is asked about his legacy in the 400, Merritt reflects on his quick rise from world junior champion as a high school runner to professional after his freshman season at East Carolina University. Legacy questions often seem to irritate Wariner the way rivalry questions do Merritt, implying that he should be looking back on his career, not forward to greater accomplishments.

"I really don't think about my legacy," said Wariner. "I'm young. I'm 24. I just go out there and do what I love to do. I love running and, every time I step on the track, I show it. I never let anything get in my way. I fight for what I want. When I want to win, I'm going out there and putting it all on the track. All the training I go through shows whenever I get there to run. I never give up on what I want."

Wariner wants to break the world record of 43.18 set by Johnson and win a second Olympic gold. And he wouldn't mind if it happened in that order.

If Wariner has any true advantage, it is his Olympic experience. But he knows from that experience how some youthful, naivete can help when running on the world's biggest stage. Merritt looks and sounds as if he has mastered the right approach.

"The best men in the 400 are going to line up and the best men are going to win medals," said Merritt. "I look at it very simply. You can't think too much about it. You just go out and do what you've been doing all year, what you've been training for for four years. I've run the race a million times. It's just trying to put it together."

Merritt knows ultimately his legacy and future will be determined by how he performs. Nothing else. That is what he loves about track. But a rivalry with the best 400 runner in the world doesn't hurt.

"In other sports, you've got people to depend on or you can blame, point fingers, whatever," said Merritt. "In this sport, you can only point fingers and blame yourself. I like the one-on-one competition, the drive and energy that comes from the other athletes."

It's a good thing because the Wariner-Merritt rivalry is just getting started.