WACO, Texas - As Jeremy Wariner turned the corner for the final 200 during a recent 600-meter practice run, Sanya Richards offered encouragement: Finish up, J,'' she said. Richards, the American record-holder in the women's 400, and Wariner, the defending Olympic gold medalist in the men's 400, have become training partners under Clyde Hart. They chase each other, push each other and support each other. Every day. They feed off each other,’’ Hart said during an International Association of Athletics Federation media day at Baylor last week. ‘’…It’s a friendly rivalry. It’s something that’s not jealously or envy in any way. …They appreciate each other.’’
Richards was a five-time NCAA champion in her two years at the University of Texas. After turning pro, she remained in Austin to train under Texas women’s coach Bev Kearney. Her move to Baylor began as a joke, with former Baylor star Darold Williamson wondering aloud why Richards wasn’t training under Hart. In his 42 years as Baylor’s track and field coach, Hart turned the school into Quarter-Miler U.'' It was after a disappointing sixth-place finish (50.19) at the Athens Games in 2004 that Richards became training partners with Williamson and Wariner. She maintains her residence in Austin, but Richards has an apartment in Waco, where she spends three or four nights a week. Wariner, Williamson and Richards - who have a combined four Olympic gold medals-have reserved parking spaces at the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex and are listed as volunteer coaches in the Baylor media guide. They use the same workout, which daily is posted on a board at the track and supervised by Hart. Hart had never worked with a world-class female athlete, having made his reputation tutoring Michael Johnson, Wariner and Williamson, among others. He became her coach, though, after a face-to-face meeting with Richards and her parents convinced Hart that her goal was to be the best in the world. That’s what I wanted, too,’’ said Hart, who retired as head coach two years ago to become the school’s director of track and field. I didn't want to just pick up another runner, just to make some money. She wanted to be the very best, and I knew with her credentials, she had a chance to do that. She was just a little frustrated, not that she hadn’t run fast, but she hadn’t been consistent. … Sometimes kids just need a different environment - they need a different motivation - to get them to the next level.’’
Wariner helps with the motivation part. He has what Richards wants.
Wariner won two gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, running a 44.00 to win the 400 and helping the 4x400 team to victory. He repeated with wins in those events at the 2005 world championships.
Richards has an Olympic gold in the women’s 4x400, but the individual gold medal remains a dream.
Training with Jeremy is just awesome for me,'' Richards said. Knowing what the best male athlete is doing, it inspires you and lets you know you’re on the right page. Jeremy is very talented, very competitive. Whenever we have a workout, we’re always competing to see who can do it better, so he’s helped me take my training up a notch.’’
Richards has been just as good for Wariner.
A few minutes after Richards ran a 49.73 in Paris last summer, Wariner ran a 43.91 in his race. A week later, he ran a personal-best 43.62 in Rome.
We feed off each other a lot,'' Wariner said. Paris was really the first time I saw it. She ran right before me, and when she ran with a good time and won with a big lead, it got me ready to go. When I ran my time, she was like, ‘Well, next week I’m going to come back and run even better.’ It keeps going back and forth.’’
Four months after Wariner set his personal best in Rome, Richards set the American women’s mark with a 48.70 at the IAAF World Cup in Athens. She concedes she might not have done it without him.
When Jeremy ran his 43.91 in Paris, I think Sanya felt like she could go 48,'' Hart said. I tell them that it should only be about five seconds difference between their performances. So when he goes 43, she immediately feels in her mind she can go 48, and she did. I think that’s good.’’
Wariner and Richards were better than good last year. Their seasons ranked among the greatest of all time.
Both went undefeated in the 400. Both won a $249,999 portion of the jackpot for sweeping the Golden League series. Both ranked first in the IAAF world rankings. Both set personal bests. Both earned the Jesse Owens Award.
``It’s great when two athletes have the same coach and are dominating the way Jeremy and I did last year,’’ Richards said. ‘’ … We take a lot of pride in that.’’
This, potentially, is a great source of information about Harts methods. This resource could be used to clear up the confusion, of the extent that speed is concentrated on in Harts program.
When a coach turns out one world class athlete, it might be written off as chance. But when a coach like Clyde Hart turns out stables of world class 400 meter sprinters, clearly he has a fantastic training program.
His emphasis on submaximal endurance work is very interesting, as it seems to cut against the grain. But you could see it in Michael Johnson. I remember that Johnson was one of the few 200 meter sprinters that didn’t seem to slow down with 50 meters to go. All the 100 meter people would slow down and tie up, but not Johnson.