LaShawn Merritt refines game plan before 400 final
RIO DE JANEIRO — In the eight years since his last appearance in an Olympic final, LaShawn Merritt failed a drug test — one he blamed on his taking an over the counter male-enhancement product — was banned from competition for nearly two years and flamed out during the qualifying heats of the 400 meters at the 2012 London Games.
It wasn’t easy to get back to medal contention.
After punching his ticket through the semifinals of the 400 here in Rio, however, Merritt said he doesn’t think any competitor can beat his best race, which he believes is coming during Sunday’s finals.
“It’s not my first time around,” said Merritt, who posted the second-best time (44.21 seconds) during semifinal heats. “And I want it. I train to win. So I’ll come out tomorrow ready to win.
“A lot of things could’ve been better. But right now I feel good. My mind is good, my body is good. So I’ll rest, get good food, look at some film and just put a better race plan together tomorrow.”
What can Merritt change in the span of 24 hours? He’ll watch the film with his coach, he said, tinkering with his body positioning, and do a better job with his pre-race workouts.
“I ran faster than yesterday. That’s expected,” he said. “We still wanted to run smooth, work on some things, not go all out because the final is tomorrow and that’s all that matters.”
To win his first career gold – he won silver in 2008 – Merritt must fend off Grenada’s Kirani James, the reigning gold medalist from the London Games.
It’s a rivalry in the most basic sense: Merritt and James are the unquestioned frontrunners in the finals, and it would be surprising – if not shocking – if one or both did finish among the top three.
“It’s going to take a good performance, I know that for sure,” James said. “I think it’s going to be highly competitive. It’s going to be a dogfight tomorrow.”
Merritt is unique for his experience, James said.
“It just shows that he’s confident in his ability. He knows where he’s at physically.”
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