WARINER chasing Michael Johnson - 31Mar05

WACO, Texas, March 31 - Jeremy Wariner is following in the legendary footsteps of 400-meter star Michael Johnson, with an eye toward matching his back-to-back Olympic 400m crowns and breaking Johnson’s world record.
Wariner won the 400m gold medal and led the US 4x400m relay gold last August at the Athens Olympics at age 20. His 44.00-second run in the 400m final was the best since Johnson’s 43.84 farewell effort at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Now Wariner is looking at a golden repeat at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, matching Johnson’s unprecedented 1996 and 2000 triumphs, and Johnson’s world record of 43.18, set at the 1999 World Championships in Seville.
I know a lot is going to be expected of me, every race that I run,'' Wariner said in a Wednesday teleconference. And that’s good. It will make it even more interesting.’’
Johnson graduated here in 1990 from Baylor University while Wariner is a junior part-time Baylor student. Johnson’s ex-coach, Clyde Hart, now guides Wariner. And Johnson serves Wariner as agent and advisor.
Johnson even sees Wariner’s world-record potential.
But he doesn't admit it,'' Wariner said. Johnson's best time at age 20 was 45.23. It took Johnson two more years to crack 45. I’m already sharper than I was and quicker than I was (a year ago),’’ said Wariner. I'm more a sprint-type runner. I always get out fast, but to run a faster 400, I know I've got to run a stronger second 200.'' Wariner will have biggest races since Athens starting April 9 in Austin at the Texas Relays, two weeks later here at the Michael Johnson Invitational and at the Drake Relays on April 30 in Des Moines, Iowa. August's World Championships in Helsinki are in Wariner's plans, provided he qualifies at the US Championships on June 24-26 in Carson, California. And with several top 400m rivals setting their sights on Wariner as well, he expects to take a run at the world 4x400m world record of 2:54.20 set by a US relay anchored by Johnson at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York. We can run in the 2:53s,’’ Wariner predicted for the US squad.

400m runners are beastly

11 seconds 100 meters 4 times (not including starts)

damn.

Actually, its more like 21.00 the first 200m and 23.00 the second 200m -with the first and second 100m being under 11.

What biomechanics tell us about stride style compared with 100/200m ( it´s more pushing ? pulling ? ).