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John Smith Reboots w/ Dix & Bailey!
The last time U.S. sprint fortunes were in the precarious position we are now was coming off the 1996 Olympics. Yes, Michael Johnson won the long sprint double – the 200 in WR time. But for four straight Majors (’92, ’93, ’95 & ’96), we had lost the men’s 100 meters – and Donovan Bailey (CAN) took possession of the WR with his ’96 win. In ’95 & ’96 we lost the 4×1 relay as well – botched handoff in ’95, poor personnel management in ’96. Sound familiar? Early during that same time frame, Coach John Smith was nurturing quarter milers Steve Lewis, Danny Everett and Quincy Watts who won…
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What Happened to U.S. Sprint Camps?
The sprints have traditionally been the bread and butter of U.S. international teams since, well forever. Heading into your typical Olympic or World Championships competition, one could count on U.S. domination of the sprints, hurdles and relays. In Daegu, however, such was not the case – at least on the men’s side of the ledger. As a matter of fact, when the smoke cleared, we had two sprinters make sprint finals – Walter Dix in the 100 & 200, and LaShawn Merritt in the – and only one gold medal from our male sprint crew with Merritt’s come from behind win in the 4×4. Granted the rest of the world…