Incredible Performances Highlight Conference Weekend

14 Questions with South Carolina’s Johnny Dutch

PRJ: How did you get started running?
JD: I started running when I was 10 years old. My sister ran on a summer track team at St. Augustine college in Raleigh called the Carolina Eagles. I used to watch her run every evening while I sat in the sand pit and made ant hills and holes.

Her coach would ask me “when you gonna run boi” and I’d be like “never.” Eventually, a few years later I watched her at hurdle practice. I saw what she was doing, so I grabbed a few hurdles and lined them up on the grass and started hurdling.

PRJ: Where did your love of running coming from?
Being around it majority of my life is what really developed my initial love for the sport. At first I hated it because I saw what it did to people at practices, but when I first set up those hurdles on the grass, I saw it was something I’d enjoy doing.

PRJ: Congratulations on winning your first NCAA title and South Carolina’s first 400-meter hurdle title in 48.75. The time was blazing. Did you feel confident after the first two hurdles that you could take home the gold?
JD: I said in a previous interview with our media relations guy, Miquel [Jacobs],that with the right time, circumstances and conditions anything is possible.

Unfortunately, on the backstretch it was extremely windy which caused me to exert more energy going over the first few hurdles than anticipated, but sometimes you have to stay focused and adjust to that circumstance or that condition. So that’s what I did. I wasn’t confident until the last part of the race when I knew I hadn’t yet won an NCAA title. That’s when I went into overdrive.

PRJ: In years past, you have been so close in the runner up position. How does it sound to say NCAA Champion after your name?
JD: It still feels surreal to me. I’ve always admired people who have been NCAA champions in the past because every year it’s just as competitive as the year before and I knew it took patience and hard work to have an NCAA title. I still can’t believe it.

PRJ: Did the win over Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson the two-time NCAA Champion add fuel add to the already budding rivalry?
JD: That’s exactly what it is, a “budding rivalry.” Again, that’s my homie, so I have always been supportive and excited about his NCAA wins in the past. I think it was more than just Jeshua’s NCAA titles that fired me up. It was probably more so of people doubting me and not believing I was capable of winning a title. I’ve even overheard people talk about me not being able to win. I’ve been truly the underdog for three years since I’ve been in college. But I kind of liked that because I knew what I was capable of achieving. It just took time and patience.

PRJ: What has your training consisted of after NCAA Outdoors and USA Outdoor Nationals?
JD: A lot of rest days. I back off more now so I can give my body time to recuperate. But I still have those hard practices a few days out of the week to keep my fitness level up.

PRJ: Speaking of U.S. Championships, you don’t mind going up against the top hurdles even to make a US team, do you?
JD: That’s exactly what I like. I feed off of the other runners presence and the intensity in the atmosphere.

PRJ: You said winning NCAAs that you didn’t run as fast as you wanted to run. How fast do you feel you are capable of running right now?
JD: Well, I just stepped on the scale a few days ago and I weigh the same, if not less, than I did in high school. Therefore, I feel like I can run anything I put my mind too, being I’m small enough to throw myself around the track.

PRJ: After competing the NCAA seasons how fresh do you feel to tackle Europe this summer?
JD: Being that I just finished a long college season, it’s going to be all about heart running over on the European circuit. My heart is what I run with 95% of the race, so regardless if someone thinks I’m too fatigued or still fresh, I know my heart says something else.

PRJ: You have the keen ability to run the 110s and 400 hurdles extremely well. Which race do you see being your bread and butter at the level?
JD: Growing up, coach Aaron McDougal, the man that engineered the beginning phases of my career, told me that the short hurdles were my bread and butter. I was always good in them growing up. When I got to college it took a minute to, again, adjust to another height. So once I fully adjust to the 110s again, no telling which one will be better. As of right now, the 400 hurdles are definitely it.

PRJ: What would you say is the most memorable moment in your career to date?
JD: Making the world championship team in 2009. I don’t think anything beats the opportunity of being able to represent your country and wear the U-S-A across your chest.

PRJ: In contrast, what has been the lowest moment in your career?
JD: I’ve had many. One that sticks out is sitting in the hotel my freshman year while the finals of the 400 meter hurdles went off at the 2008 NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa. I was so bitter about the situation, I couldn’t even go out to watch the race. But thank God for getting me through those times when I felt low.

PRJ: You have run on track and fields all over the world, which would you say is your favorite?
JD: It has to be between North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro and the Eugene, Oregon facilities. The reason why I say A&T is because all of my family and friends come out and support me. I feed off their energy and always put something fast down on that track. And I love the blue surface. It’s where I ran Nike high school nationals and all of my states meets.

Eugene is a place where track and field is appreciated and people respect what you do. The weather isn’t always great, but on your way walking to the track you see huge posters and billboards of Ashton Eaton or Andrew Wheating, athletes who run track and work hard. That’s something you don’t see anywhere else in America.

PRJ: Do you get prerace jitters?
JD: Yessir. Most definitely. I get them even before I arrive at the track facility the day of the meet. I’ll be laying in my bed running the race back and forth through my head until it feels right.

Who is the next Usain Bolt?

In 2004 there was concern. Handwringing. Consternation.

The worldwide screaming of BOLT! BOLT! BOLT! drowned out all of that. And thoughts of the greatness? Who cares about all that with the green and gold around?

The calendar flips one year and then ten years fly by and it’s 2012.

So who is the next Usain Bolt? It would make a great round table discussion at a nice restaurant. This is the stuff of internet chat board conversations that last for days.  But in actuality no one really knows.

That’s because there will never be another Usain Bolt.  How long did we wait for the next Jesse Owens? Usain Bolt’s feats do not to alter the accomplishments of the aforementioned except to distinguish the two as well before their time.  People weren’t ready for them.

Remember “the next” great was Carl Lewis whose nine Olympic gold medals and longevity make him royalty. Michael Johnson has left him stamp on track and field. And along the way there have been a number of phenoms who have had brushes with greatness.

The real question is who is the next phenom this time around.

If another athlete of Bolt’s caliber is coming up there is a distinct likely that he/she will not be an American, however there is a high likelihood that they will train the U.S. under some of the best coaches and facilities in the world.

There will be Tyson Gay who will more than likely accomplish enough to finish a legend.  There are shooting wonders like Johnny Dutch, Jeshua Anderson and the likes of Queen Harrison who are having outstanding careers.

There have been a share that have burned out before reaching their zenith and the of course the hazardous hamstring, knee and ankle injuries that make going through the motions of a full career nearly impossible.

Usain Bolt will probably be around in 2012 and and will probably take victory laps up to 2014. He is reportedly earning $250,000 a race and will have more than enough stacks to retire. 

It’s to be seen if Bolt has the business drive of Michael Johnson to become a CEO. Or the entertainment drive of Carl Lewis to take on Hollywood shine. And that is good because Bolt will be around to be the sport’s spokesperson. Which is when we may again be asking where is the next Usain Bolt.

Nearly a decade later - we may still may not have answer to the question.

PRJ Exclusive: Jeshua Anderson Gets Straight to the Point

At first glance, his understated  persona is easy to miss in a room of his peers.   Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson stands out at the track among muscular men and women - world-class hurdlers and sprinters - stretching to warm up for another more practice.

Anderson keeps his mind fixed on his goals. He knows his own style styles, what bad habits to correct, what techniques to tweak and what thoughts he should muster to motivate himself.

Any runner knows the shortest distance between two points is straight line.

Anderrson, The reigning NCAA 400m hurdle champion is straight up, with no sugar coating - about his goals and the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

PreRaceJitters’ caught up with Jeshua to discuss the 2010 season and more.

PRJ: Is breaking the NCAA record of 47.10 on your list of goals?

JA: Yes it is.

PRJ: What are your goals for the outdoor NCAA Championships in Eugene?

JA: Hopefully to win another title.

PRJ: How did you get started running?

JA: My uncle [John Anderson] ran hurdles in high school and then at USC. After I played football by freshman year in high school, my coach urged us to run track that spring.

PRJ: Were you always an intermediate hurdler?

JA: I started running both hurdles but enjoyed doing the 110m hurdles more those first few years.

PRJ: The 400m hurdles is considered by some as the most difficult race in the sport.

JA: I think it is. It is a man’s race. A lot of people call it that.

PRJ: So far this season, you have run 49.11 over the 400m hurdles. Has the change to the NCAA qualifying standards for nationals affected your season in terms of the way you and your coach have approach this outdoor season.

JA: No.

PRJ: By all accounts, you were having a successful college football career. Walk me through the decision to concentrate solely on running track?

JA: It was a rough decision. I still love the sport but I didn’t have the same passion for playing the game that I had when I first came in as a freshman. I still would love to play.

PRJ: You suffered a difficult injury last season, what did you learn from the experience?

JA: Staying healthy is a big factor in whatever level you’re at, but you have to get your body looked at right when it bothers you and not let it bother you more and more by training and competing. Trust how your body feels. [Last year] I was out there trying to run in front of family and I disregarded how my leg was feeling.

PRJ: What is your toughest workout?

JA: Running the 4-mile runs in Fall training. I also trained with the cross country/middle distance runners this winter so I did a lot of miles.

PRJ: Edwin Moses was a really solid 800 meter runner. Will we see you run the two-lap race?

JA: Edwin Moses is a great role model for me. I have run the 800m throughout the year to help my strength level out.

PRJ: You set the then high school 300m hurdle national high school record with a time of 35.28 seconds and have won a pair of NCAA titles. What is the difference between running in high school and college?

JA: The extra 100m added onto the race. When I ran the 300m hurdles it was more of a sprint race for me and I didn’t get tired. Now, the 400m hurdles is a technical race and you find spots in the race where you can rest and spots where you can move throughout the time. It is more of a technical race now.

PRJ: You grew up in the California and now train in Washington.

JA: This [Northwest weather] prepares you to appreciate the heat and warm weather more. Running here you have to toughen up and though it out. We have some tough runners here. When I was being recruited, I knew what the weather was going to be. You have to get your fitness level up and run through the training and get ready to run in the heat and get your times down.

PRJ: Thank you for your time and best wishes this season.

Mt. SAC Relays Highlight the Weekend

Photo by Glenda Boyd.

By Jerry Boyd

What happens when you combine a grass roots track & field community with a great track facility, near perfect weather and some of the premier athletes in the world?  You get the 2009 Mt. Sac Relays at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut California.  The meet organizers have put together three days of wonderful competition for all levels including youth, masters, Special Olympics, Paralympics, college and professional runners.

Perhaps the biggest race on Saturday was the men’s invitational 200m where Lionel Larry of Adidas ran an early season personal bests of 20.37 ahead of Dwain Chambers, who ran 20.51.  Hailing from California and training in Carson, Lionel considers Mt. Sac Relays a home meet and the crowd responded loudly when he competed.  The next time he will be in action is May 2nd in Jamaica.  Just after the fans settled down from the men’s 200m, the women came back with a close 200m of their own featuring Arizona State’s Charonda Williams running 22.84 to claim victory.

In the women’s invitational 100m, Carmelita Jeter set a world leading time of 10.96.  The mark is also a personal best time for Jeter and is the first time in that she has run under 11-seconds in her career.

Geena Gall of Michigan won the women’s invitational 800m just missing a PR with 2:02.69.  It was Galls’s first time to run at Mt. SAC and even though a light wind gave her a little trouble she was able to finish over a second and a half ahead of the closest competitor.  Gall and the Michigan team will be competing next at the Penn Relays next week.

The men’s 400m hurdles featured National Champion and World Jr. Champion Jeshua Anderson of Washington State.  Anderson was been running well but crashed on hurdle 8 and opened the door for Justin Boyd, competing for the G&G Track Cub, to take the win at 50.32.  Justin said, “I saw Anderson fall but had to concentrate on his steps to finish strong.”  This is Boyd’s first appearance at Mt. SAC and will travel to Des Moines next week for the Drake Relays.

Allison Felix ran the anchor leg for the winning 4X100m relay with a 43.98.  The same group consisting of Allyson Felix, Ginnie Powell, Michelle Perry and Natasha Hastings also won the sprint medley relay at 1:38.77.

The men’s pole vault had an impressive field including Olympic silver medalist Todd Stevenson but the Japanese national record holder Diachi Sawano owned the day.   Sawano put on an impressive demonstration clearing 5.70m – 18’08. 25”.

Olympian Suzy Powell of Asics won the women’s discus with a throw of 5.67m – 195’09”.

On Friday night, Julia Howard won the women’s invitational 1500m with a time of 4:13.72.  After the race, I spoke with Lauren Hagans who placed third with a PR of 4:14.94.  She was excited after a tough race where she was blocked in and had to make a bold move to get in the open.  Hagans is a former Baylor All-American now running unattached and will take next weekend off before returning to run at Stanford the following week.

At the end of the day there were smiles all around.  The Mt. SAC Relays organizers, officials and volunteers do a remarkable job with this big meet.  It was a pleasure to see a mix of athletes from the determined high school competitors to the talented and gracious professionals.

Weekend Thoughts: 4/10 - 4/11

There were a number of majors this past weekend, notably the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner Kersee meet at UCLA, Tennessee’s Sea Ray Relays and Sun Angel Track Classic at Arizona State.

Professionals open season.

All signs are indicating that a number of elite runners are in fabulous shape considering the early time of the year.  Some say that there is little gain in a non-Olympic year and I couldn’t disagree more with this line of thinking.  You have to admit that the best track athletes in the world facing off and exhibiting their talent is a good idea.

It’s his defining feature: An intense focus on being the best track runner in the world.  Regardless of the drama surrounding Walter Dix off the track, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist took a turn on Saturday after running 10.00 in the 100 meters with a 0.0 wind at the Seminole Invitational.

This after news reports surfaced that Dix will be training with Florida A&M’s Rey Robinson, a 1972 Olympian and touted sprint coach. He is leaving former FSU track and field coach Terry Long who was heavily involved Dix’s training last year.  At the present time, Dix is also a contract dispute with agent Kimberly Holland. What kind of a year is in store for Richard Thompson?

Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart is quietly piece her race together, running 22.62 at the Sun Angel Track Classic. Trinidad’s Richard Thompson cranked out 20.6 in the damp, cool conditions in Arizona.

Don’t call it a come back, she’s been here for years.  This year Carmelita Jeter opened the season at the Jackie Joyner Kersee/Rafer Johnson meet in 22.59.  Jeter has recently joined the HSI group and already showing signs that she may have the best season yet of her professional career.

Bringing the heat, Lauryn Williams got her season started running 11.11 at the Miami Elite Invitational, while  2008 Olympic Trials runner-up Damu Cherry flew over the hurdles in 12.43.

Hazel Clark-Riley was spotted at the Sea Ray Relays. She placed 7th in her 1,500m heat at Sea Ray Relays, running 4:31.47.  In another early season race Anthony Famiglietti jumped in the 1500m at Sea Ray Relays, winning the race in 3:42.77 by over three seconds.

College Runners
With so many talented runners, the women’s 800 is already shaping up to be a hot race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  Chanelle Price is getting healthier as the season goes on, recording a third place finish in the 800 meters (2:05.54), behind Treniere Clement (2:04.23).

Reigning NCAA 400 meter hurdle champion Jeshua Anderson improved on his season’s best time on Saturday, running 49.44 seconds showing that he is a force to be reckoned with again this season.  In a dramatic race, Allyson Felix ran down Texas A&M’s on the anchor leg of the 4×100 relay to win in 43.46 seconds.

Winning the overall title Ronnie Ash of Bethune-Cookman University took the high hurdles in 13.58, setting a new stadium record in Miami.

The race in L.A. had twist and turns but in the end Tran Howell, Gerlad Phiri, Chris Dykes and Justin Oliver of Texas A&M prevailed in the 400 meter relays over elite runners Craig Everhart, Kerron Clement, Rodney Martin and Shawn Crawford, 39.13 to 39.28.

Alyson Felix provided fireworks on the anchor leg of the 4×100 meter relay. Felix delivered a come from behind win, crossing the line in 43.46 to 43.47 over Texas A&M.

Texas Relays Live Coverage - Day 2

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-Live Results

-Austin, TX. Arguably the most exciting event at the 87th Texas Relays took place in the field. High jumper Andra Maston challenged the American record before settling on 7 feet, 8.5 inches, which is a new personal best for Maston.

A number of the 100 meter races were over the legally allowable 2.0 meters per second.

In the women’s 100, Gabby Mayo of Texas A&M won in 11.123 — .007 seconds ahead of Baylor’s Tiffany Townsend

Florida State had a dominant day at the Texas Relays.  The Seminoles walked away with 4×100 meter relays victories in the men’s and women’s division.

The Distance Medley Relays were swept by Baylor on the men’s and women’s side with both races ending with dramatic finales coming down to a foot race the final 50 meters.

Mississippi State freshman Deangelo Cherry took the men’s university 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.16 seconds.

Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech won the 400 meter hurdles in 57.38, ahead of teammate Asia Washington who was second in 58.41.

Texas A&M swept the men’s and women’s 4×200 meter relays.  A team comprised of Howell, Gerald Phiri, Chris Dykes and Justin Oliver ran 1:22.06.

In the 4×400 meter relay, LSU women won the race for a second straight year.  Junior LaTavia Thomas anchored the team to a come-from-behind victory in 3:31.81. Baylor men 4×400 streak of consecutive reaces remains in tact. The Bears relay of J.T Scheurman, Marcus Boyd, LeJerald Betters and Quentin Summers ran 3:02.68.

Texas Relays - Justin Boyd<
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