February 2002 Issue

Going Around In Circles
by Jon Hendershott

In today's age of event specialization, John Godina is a rare bird--or giant. Not only is the 29-year-old American currently the world's best shot putter--and one of the best of all-time--he has also been ranked as high as No. 3 in the discus…

But as Godina has maintained throughout his career--from high school in Wyoming, through stellar collegiate campaigns at UCLA to his current leadership of the elite--"I am definitely dedicated to both events.

"But is the shot more important? I don't know. At this point, it provides financial security so I can then work to do my best in the discus. The legacy I want to leave is as the best thrower who ever lived. I feel I'm well on the way to showing that-now I just want to straighten out my discus."…

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

New Blood In The Sprints
by Kirk Reynolds

Never previously World Ranked, Bernard Williams and Kelli White each earned two spots in '01. And each won relay gold and individual bronze at the Worlds…

This past season, Williams moved west to California to join with HSI's powerful sprint group and train with the likes of World Record holder Maurice Greene. His ascent to the elite levels of sprinting accelerated.

"With a 10.03 your freshman year, you're supposed to run 9s all day long in college," explains Williams, the NCAA champ for Florida as a junior. "It was something I wasn't able to do."

He continues, "I learned a lot on and off the track. That just comes with maturity and growth. And also making the move to train with Maurice Greene. Each year I try to grow and progress and do better than the previous year."…

Being back in Northern California also brought White back closer to her parents. Her mother is Debbie Byfield, who anchored the '72 Jamaican Olympic 4x1 team. And she graduated from Union City's Logan High, where her coach was her father, Willie.

Dad was a world-class 100 performer who earned World Ranking spots in both '57 (No. 4) and '58 (No. 10) then narrowly missed making the '60 Olympic team where his 6th was less than a foot from 2nd.

Says Kelli, "My dad put me on the track team when I was 10, and I've been running ever since then." Despite her folks' accomplishments, she hasn't pestered them with questions about their running days. "I know, it's weird," she admits, "but I've never really asked them."…

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

T&FN Interview: Allen Johnson
by Jon Hendershott

Off the track, Allen Johnson is quiet by nature. But put 10 high hurdles in front of him-or competitors of any ability on either side of him-and he becomes a tiger.

The 31-year-old South Carolina resident has rated among the event's super-elite since winning his first of three world titles in '95. The '96 Olympic gold medal, a World Indoor victory, three No. 1 World Rankings and four in the U.S. ratings--Johnson has claimed plenty of honors…

T&FN: You've been quoted that if you ran a "perfect race," you felt it could be a 12.70. Yet by their very nature are the highs an imperfect race? Terrence Trammell has said there are 10 ways to screw up, but does a hurdler have to go all-out every time? Or is a "perfect" race possible?

Johnson: I'd say no, it's not possible to run a perfect race-mainly because, as a person, you're imperfect. But I think you can get very close to running perfectly. I still feel it's possible for me to run in the high 12.7s. It may sound crazy and I may never come close to doing it, but I'll always believe that I'm capable of doing it.

It's a matter of having all the cards fall right. At Edmonton, I was actually surprised how fast and how well I ran during the heats. I was inconsistent, but on the days when I really needed to run fast, I was able to do it.

I was surprised by that because I had been injured for so long and I hadn't prepared nearly as much as I had planned on had I not been hurt. So being able to run 13.04 last year really gave me a lot of motivation and confidence going into this season.

T&FN: You also have talked about being "real with yourself" in terms of goals. In the perfect race, you feel 12.70 is possible but 12.90 is the more realistic goal?

Johnson: I feel I have to run 12.90 before I can run 12.80-something and then 12.70-something. I'd be very surprised that when I break the World Record, it's a 12.78 or 12.79. When I do get to 12.7, I should have already broken the record maybe three times at least.

That's because I don't know what any of those times feel like yet. I know that when I ran 12.92, even with mistakes, I was on pace to run 12.86 or 12.88. So I know already what that type of race feels like. But to go farther is someplace I've never gone, at any point in any race. So, the challenge is trying to find that point. It's an awesome challenge, but it's one I'm up for." …

(for more, see the January Issue of Track & Field News)

T&FN Top 40 Lists
compiled by Dan Lilot

You can always find the best in lists right here on the T&FN site, but what do you do when you don't have Internet access? Simple, you pull out this issue of T&FN, the best reference source going.

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

Bob Kennedy Still Focused On Track

After an injury-plagued 2000 which saw him fail to qualify for his third straight Olympic team, and broke his string of seven straight No. 1 U.S. Rankings, American 5K record holder Bob Kennedy rebounded in '01.

He regained his national title, one that had belonged to Adam Goucher the previous two years. But after a U.S.-leading 13:17.51 at Oslo, the Indiana grad decided to not compete in Edmonton due to an underactive thyroid that hampered his training leading up to the World Championships.

"[The thyroid] is probably hereditary as my mother and her father have the same condition," says the 31-year-old Ohio native. "It's easily controlled and corrected with medication. My levels are back to normal now and I should be fine into the future."…

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

Tracking The Stars--2001 Injury Victims

Find out how some of America's biggest names found themselves shelved in the post-Olympic year, from Lawrence Johnson's stress fracture, to Hazel Clark's stepping on a pine cone, to Teri Steer tearing her Achilles, to Coby Miller's broken fibula to Melissa Morrison's pulled hamstring.

(for details on these problems, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

U.S.Women Milers Getting Healthy
by Jon Hendershott

In the last two U.S. outdoor nationals, Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor Hamilton staged memorable battles in the 1500, the fierce-kicking Jacobs twice coming out on top. And in both years, Favor Hamilton went on to clock U.S.-pacing efforts in Europe (a PR 3:57.40 before the Olympics and a 4:00.38 pre-Worlds last year)…

Heading to Edmonton last summer, both seemed to be in top form. Besides taking her sixth U.S. 1500 title in the past seven years, Jacobs had won the national 800 and ran 2nd in the 5000 an hour later. Favor Hamilton's quick 1500 in Monaco was the third-fastest of her career.

But both crashed and burned on the very public stage of the World Championships.

Jacobs made it through some 1100m of her heat before limping off the track. She felt a sharp pain in her right foot, she said, and "couldn't push off on my foot."

Favor Hamilton's exit was no less of an unpleasant turn of events, especially in light of her dramatic collapse in Sydney. Clipped from behind with 600m left her semi as others jockeyed for position, she slid back in the field and then stopped with a lap to go.

But it is a new year, with renewed hopes as a new season begins. Both Jacobs and Favor Hamilton have been training well, strengthening their physical condition as well as their mental outlook…

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

World Leader Washington Taking Year Off

Almost as rare as leading the world list but not earning a World Ranking is taking a year off while in your prime, but quartermiler Tyree Washington will do just that in '02.

The hot-starting Californian put up world-leading marks three times last year, in March (44.83), April (44.47) and May (44.28), the last of which nobody ever bettered. But the '97 World Champs bronze medalist was hit by injuries and didn't make it out of his USATF semi in June.

"It started with back problems," he explains. "Then it moved down to my hamstrings and then my soleus."…

(for more, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

From The Editor

The "amateur" label continues to hamper track's development…

(for the full opinion, see the February Issue of Track & Field News)

And in the March issue…

Coming up next month, an issue that's not only chock-full of all the latest news on the Indoor Circuit, but will also give you our in-depth Prep Preview, so you'll know just what to expect once the 2002 high school season gets into full swing.