Jeremy Wariner

Jeremy Mathew Wariner (born 31 January1984, in Irving, Texas) is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) and four World Championships medals.

Early career

He attended Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, where he participated in multiple sports and was recognized for his outstanding speed. Under the coaching of Mike Nelson who also coached state champion 110m hurdler Reggie Harrell, Jeremy was the 2002 Texas 5A state sprint champion at both 200 m and 400 m, setting high school bests of 20.41w and 45.57. Enrolling at Baylor University, he quickly established himself as an immense collegiate sprint talent under the guidance of Clyde Hart, coach of Baylor alumnus and two-time Olympic 400 m gold medal winner and nine-time world champion Michael Johnson. Somewhat hampered by injuries late in his freshman year, Wariner regained form as a sophomore, winning both the 2004 NCAA Division I indoor and outdoor 400 m titles. Later that year, he easily claimed the national 400 m title at the USATF Championships making him the favorite for the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

The youthful Wariner then made his first appearance on the world athletic stage by gliding through the preliminary rounds of the Olympics Games with his characteristically smooth sprinting stride. He would win two Olympic gold medals, the first in the 400 m in a personal record 44.00 seconds and the second as the 3rd leg of the U.S. 4x400 m relay team. Following his Olympic successes, Wariner turned professional, forgoing the rest of his collegiate eligibility, though he remained at Baylor and continued to be coached by Clyde Hart.

Professional Athletic Career

The next year, Wariner won the 400 m at the 2005 USATF championship with a time of 44.20. At the World Championships in Helsinki on a cold and rainy day he won the 400 m in 43.93 seconds. He would then anchor the American team in the 4x400 m relay for the gold medal.

Early in 2006, Wariner competed in the 200m lowering his PR to 20.19 seconds. Later that year he would set a new personal best of 43.62 seconds at 400m at the Golden Gala Meet in Rome. Together with Asafa Powell (100 m) and Sanya Richards (women's 400 m) he won his sixth out of six Golden League events (400 m) in the same season, which earned him a total of $250,000.

In 2007 he filled a summer with dominating 400m performances culminating with the World Championships in Osaka where on August 31, 2007 he would win the 400 m in 43.45 seconds thereby improving his personal best to become the third-fastest of all time (only Michael Johnson and Butch Reynolds have run faster). [ [http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/age=N/season=0/sex=M/all=y/legal=A/disc=400/detail.htmx IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations - IAAF.org - Statistics - Top Lists ] ]

In 2008, Wariner announced he would be coached by Baylor assistant coach Michael Ford. The change in relationship to coach Hart was of great interest to the track and field press corp and fueled speculation regarding its impact, necessity and cause. By the time of the 2008 USATF championship he and agent Michael Johnson had to face many probing questions regarding the reasons for such a change in an Olympic year. Wariner would go on to place second behind LaShawn Merritt in the mens 400m final of the USATF championship and secure his place on the U.S. Olympic team in the 400m event and the 4x400m relay team.

In the 2008 Olympics, Wariner qualified for the final with a time of 44.12, in a run which he slowed down considerably in the final fifty meters. This led to much anticipation that he could beat Michael Johnson's world record in the final, but instead he took the silver, unexpectedly losing to LaShawn Merritt by nearly a full second. David Neville came in third completing a United States sweep of the 400m. [ [http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/AT/C73A/ATM004101.shtml#ATM004101 Athletics Men's 400m Results - The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games] ]

Personal statistics

* height: 185 cm (73 in) [http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/7/222117.shtml]
* weight: 71 kg (156 lbs) [http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/7/222117.shtml]

Personal bests

References

ee also

*List of multiple Olympic gold medalists

External links

*iaaf name|id=189309|name=Jeremy Wariner
* [http://www.jeremywariner.com www.jeremywariner.com]
* [http://www.spikesmag.com/athletes/Heroes/jeremywariner.aspx SPIKES Hero profile at www.spikesmag.com]
* [http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819129_1819134_1825730,00.html "Jeremy Wariner"] , n°14 on "Time"’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"