{"id":539,"date":"2011-07-25T08:17:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=539"},"modified":"2011-07-25T08:17:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-25T15:17:00","slug":"lashawn-merritt-is-there-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=539","title":{"rendered":"LaShawn Merritt \u2013 Is There Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With a month to go to the World Championships, every performance is put under the microscope to try and decipher what it could mean for prospects in Daegu. The buzz last week was the still shaky form of defending double sprint champion Usain Bolt. Soon the form of another defending champion will get sliced, diced, and questioned multiple times \u2013 that of defending 400 champion LaShawn Merritt. <\/p>\n

The status of Merritt has been well documented. Suspended for using an over the counter male enhancement product (not of the track and field kind) Merritt\u2019s suspension will be up in two days \u2013 July 27th. At that time he will be eligible to begin competing again. As the defending World Champion he has an automatic bye to Daegu. A bye he will be able to use thanks to USATF granting him an exception from competing at the National championships \u2013 a must for all U.S. team members barring exemption by USATF. <\/p>\n

So, as of Wednesday, Merritt will have thirty days to get sharp and attempt to defend the title he won in Berlin. Perhaps not as daunting a task as one would have envisioned a year ago, as the event is in the midst of a serious down cycle heading into the World Championships. <\/p>\n

The current world leaders in the event are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
44.65<\/td>\nRondell Bartholomew <\/td>\nGRN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44.68<\/td>\nTony McQuay<\/td>\nUSA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44.74<\/td>\nKevin Borlee<\/td>\nBEL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44.78<\/td>\nDemetrius Pinder<\/td>\nBAH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44.83<\/td>\nTabarie Henry<\/td>\nISV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Not exactly the kind of performances that should put fear into a man with a PR of 43.75. When last we saw Merritt on the international stage he was winning the World title in Berlin at 44.06 \u2013 well ahead of runner up Jeremy Wariner\u2019s 44.60. He was undefeated in 11 finals with 6 of them faster than this year\u2019s current world leader. So, based on the performance level of this year\u2019s crop of quarter milers it\u2019s conceivable that he could repeat as champion. That is if time has not taken the edge off of his race. <\/p>\n

Time being the operative word this year for Merritt. Did his nearly two years off take the edge off of his race? Will a month be enough time for him to get that edge back? Just what kind of times can we expect from him when he gets on the track? But the biggest question of all is: where will he compete to even get a time in to see where he is competitively?<\/p>\n

Beginning with his \u201creturn\u201d date of July 27, here is the schedule of meets leading up to the World Championships<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
27<\/td>\nJoensuu, Finland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/td>\nDN Galan, Stockholm, Sweeden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30-31<\/td>\nNambu Memorial, Sapporo, Japan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/td>\nGyulai Memorial, Budapest, Hungary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nKarlstad, Sweden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nSidlo Memorial, Sopot, Poland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5-6<\/td>\nAviva GP, London, England<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nTallinn, Estonia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nCuxhaven, Germany<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nCopenhagen, Denmark<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\nBochum-Wattenscheid, Germany<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\nLappeenranta, Finland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13-14<\/td>\nU.S. v Germany Multis, Chula Vista, California<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17-22<\/td>\nWUG. Shenzhen, China<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
**27**<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nWorld Championships, Daegu, South Korea<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Those are the opportunities that are out there. I will be keeping an eye on all of these meets for any results coming from Merritt. Right now the 400 is wide open<\/a>, and we could use Merritt\u2019s experience there and in the 4×4 relay. According to the entry lists for Stockholm, Merritt should get his first test in Sweden.  I\u2019m sure the chatter will start once the results from this race are posted!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a month to go to the World Championships, every performance is put under the microscope to try and decipher what it could mean for prospects in Daegu. The buzz last week was the still shaky form of defending double sprint champion Usain Bolt. Soon the form of another defending champion will get sliced, diced, and questioned multiple times \u2013 that of defending 400 champion LaShawn Merritt. The status of Merritt has been well documented. Suspended for using an over the counter male enhancement product (not of the track and field kind) Merritt\u2019s suspension will be up in two days \u2013 July 27th. At that time he will be eligible to begin competing again. As the defending World Champion he has an automatic bye to Daegu. A bye he will be able to use thanks to USATF granting him an exception from competing at the National championships \u2013 a must for all U.S. team members barring exemption by USATF. So, as of Wednesday, Merritt will have thirty days to get sharp and attempt to defend the title he won in Berlin. Perhaps not as daunting a task as one would have envisioned a year ago, as the event is in the midst of a serious down cycle heading into the World Championships. The current world leaders in the event are: 44.65 Rondell Bartholomew GRN 44.68 Tony McQuay USA 44.74 Kevin Borlee BEL 44.78 Demetrius Pinder BAH 44.83 Tabarie Henry ISV Not exactly the kind of performances that should put fear into a man with a PR of 43.75. When last we saw Merritt on the international stage he was winning the World title in Berlin at 44.06 \u2013 well ahead of runner up Jeremy Wariner\u2019s 44.60. He was undefeated in 11 finals with 6 of them faster than this year\u2019s current world leader. So, based on the performance level of this year\u2019s crop of quarter milers it\u2019s conceivable that he could repeat as champion. That is if time has not taken the edge off of his race. Time being the operative word this year for Merritt. Did his nearly two years off take the edge off of his race? Will a month be enough time for him to get that edge back? Just what kind of times can we expect from him when he gets on the track? But the biggest question of all is: where will he compete to even get a time in to see where he is competitively? Beginning with his \u201creturn\u201d date of July 27, here is the schedule of meets leading up to the World Championships 27 Joensuu, Finland 29 DN Galan, Stockholm, Sweeden 30-31 Nambu Memorial, Sapporo, Japan 31 Gyulai Memorial, Budapest, Hungary     2 Karlstad, Sweden 5 Sidlo Memorial, Sopot, Poland 5-6 Aviva GP, London, England 9 Tallinn, Estonia 10 Cuxhaven, Germany 11 Copenhagen, Denmark 13 Bochum-Wattenscheid, Germany 13 Lappeenranta, Finland 13-14 U.S. v Germany Multis, Chula Vista, California 17-22 WUG. Shenzhen, China     **27** World Championships, Daegu, South Korea Those are the opportunities that are out there. I will be keeping an eye on all of these meets for any results coming from Merritt. Right now the 400 is wide open, and we could use Merritt\u2019s experience there and in the 4×4 relay. According to the entry lists for Stockholm, Merritt should get his first test in Sweden.  I\u2019m sure the chatter will start once the results from this race are posted!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-8H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":601,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=601","url_meta":{"origin":539,"position":0},"title":"2011 in Review \u2013 Men\u2019s 400 Meters","author":"CHill","date":"October 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"2011 proved to be a year of \u201cold v new\u201d as the old guard struggled to maintain and find form, while the young guns searched to find themselves. 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Which is why I\u2019m starting with this event \u2013 it\u2019s got to be easier after this!\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-llpW_VWaL2U\/TkKdLF68etI\/AAAAAAAAAUo\/FDvpMWa9eks\/image_thumb2.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":156,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=156","url_meta":{"origin":539,"position":2},"title":"When will we get Merritt v Wariner?","author":"CHill","date":"May 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"In Lashawn Merritt's recent entry on his IAAF diary he outlined his upcoming schedule:\u2022 200 this weekend at the Adidas Classic\u2022 400 at the Reebok Grand Prix\u2022 300 at the Prefontaine Classic\u2022 400 at NationalsKnowing what Merritt was running I took a look at Jeremy Wariner's website to find out\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":567,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=567","url_meta":{"origin":539,"position":3},"title":"Worlds Day Four \u2013 New Stars Crowned","author":"CHill","date":"August 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as the opening day was clearly the day of the Kenyans, today was the day for new stars of the sport to get crowned! As we saw several new faces take on some old ones and emerge victorious. The most exciting event of the day was the last event\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Chernova\"","block_context":{"text":"Chernova","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=chernova"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-FB9I5Wgi_Os\/Tlz2THdjg1I\/AAAAAAAAAZ8\/RXDXqwFQtXM\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":543,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=543","url_meta":{"origin":539,"position":4},"title":"Wariner Out \u2013 Game Changer?","author":"CHill","date":"August 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Word came out late yesterday that former World and Olympic 400 meter champion Jeremy Wariner\u2019s toe injury is going to end his season. He is pulling out of the World Championships to get healthy and be ready for the London Olympics. 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