LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — After putting his athletes through a disciplined two-hour workout in sultry central Florida, legendary track coach Brooks Johnson shares his first impression of David Oliver six years ago in a session that required multiple 300-meter sprints. “The first time he came to practice, he threw up three times,” the 77-year-old Johnson said, seated in shaded bleachers beside a track at a massive sports facility at Disney World. “I knew there was a certain amount of tenacity there.”
That tenacity drove Oliver through early struggles, when he had to work at a nearby Niketown, barely able to pay his rent and keep his 1992 Chevy Corsica running. Now, when Oliver drives to work at the ESPN Wide World of Sports track, he has his choice of two Jaguars — either the supercharged 2004 S-type or the 2011 XJL.
The Denver East grad figures to be a top medal contender for the 2012 London Olympics, having ended last season as the top-ranked 110-meter hurdler in the world. He was undefeated in 15 races and broke the American record.
“He sees competition as an opportunity,” said Johnson, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat with a stopwatch dangling from his neck. “A lot of people see competition as punishment. The other thing is that he has real serious desire, motivation, to be recognized. And he has the ability to absorb the coaching and apply it.”
At one point during the workout, Johnson had Oliver working on accentuating the third step between hurdles.
“Click-click-CLICK, click-click- CLICK, like a train rolling down the track,” Johnson instructed. “See how quick you can clip it off.”
Oliver and his training partners joke and tease during breaks in the workout, which they took in shade for shelter from the blazing sun. But when Johnson gave instructions, their reply was almost always the same: “Yes, sir.”
A visitor mentioned he noticed the formality.
“What’s wrong with that?” said Johnson, who can be demanding and intimidating. “Our job is to compress time down, OK? That means we can’t make the same mistakes over and over again. So when something is being explained, you have to get it the first time and apply it the first time. If it takes five or six, seven, eight or nine times, we’re not making any progress.”
An excellent student
Oliver is a quick learner, and it’s a good thing, because the 110 hurdles is the most technical event on the track.
“You don’t have to tell him the same thing over and over and over again,” Johnson said. “He very rarely makes the same mistake twice. That means he’s able to make progress at an accelerated rate.”
Johnson’s training group includes five hurdlers and three sprinters, including Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100-meter gold medalist who returned to the sport last year after a four-year doping suspension. His coach when he was busted was Trevor Graham, who coached Marion Jones and was banned from the sport in 2008.
Gatlin maintains he “unknowingly” was administered a banned substance containing testosterone.
“No way is whatever he did condonable,” Oliver said. “Whatever deal he got, it’s whatever he deserved to receive. He’s back. America’s the land of second chances. He should get a second chance like everybody else.”
Oliver said training beside Gatlin since last winter has helped him improve his starts.
“It’s about racing to the first hurdle,” Oliver said. “A lot of people pace off those steps to the first hurdle, and that’s where they run into trouble. (Gatlin) really helps me out in my starts, just gives you a target to chase.”
In workouts, hurdlers and sprinters spend more time resting than exerting themselves, but there’s a scientific reason for it. Energy comes from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, and most of it is consumed in a matter of seconds during explosive activity and converted into adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
“You’ve got ATP, when you burn it, it goes into ADP,” Johnson said. “Creatine unites with ADP to turn it back into ATP. That process takes a minimum of seven to 10 minutes.”
Johnson’s hurdlers did several “flying 30s,” starting out of the blocks and going over two hurdles spaced 30 meters apart, with Johnson timing them from the first hurdle to the second (around 2.8 seconds). They also practiced starts side by side next to Gatlin. He had a clear lane, but the others had hurdles to get over.
Oliver is gearing his workouts to peak for the U.S. Outdoor Championships, June 23-26 in Eugene, Ore. The top three finishers there qualify for the biennial world championships, which will be held this year in Daegu, South Korea.
“That’s the only meet really that we’ve got marked on the calendar to be ready for,” Oliver said of nationals. “That’s definitely the ultimate goal, to go out there and have a successful meet by coming in that top three.”
More upward potential
Oliver’s 18-meet unbeaten streak ended May 15 when he was beaten in Shanghai by China’s Liu Xiang, the former world-record holder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist who pulled up lame at the 2008 Beijing Games. Oliver bounced back to beat Liu on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., running 12.94 seconds to Liu’s 13-flat.
Oliver, Liu and Cuban Dayron Robles are the fastest hurdlers in history. Robles, the defending Olympic gold medalist, holds the world record at 12.87, but Liu has run 12.88 and Oliver’s American record is 12.89.
At 29, Oliver is the oldest of the three, but Johnson said the goal is to keep him a medal contender through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A former Stanford coach, Johnson has had at least one athlete in every Summer Olympics since 1968, and Oliver figures to keep that streak alive for two more Olympiads.
“Generally speaking, you reach a physical peak between the ages of 28 and 32,” Johnson said. “Between 32 and 36 is supposed to be the time when you have the greatest skill acquisition and strength acquisition. So there’s a balancing there. The thing that mitigates against that is bad technique, which creates a lot of wear and tear on your body, or how much dissipation you do during your career. If you chose the right parents and you stay moderately healthy, you should be able to do well, well into your 30s.”
The tenacity he first saw in Oliver six years ago is still apparent on the track at Disney World.
“People who are at the extremes of whatever they do, whether it’s art, academics, politics or athletics, have extreme needs,” Johnson said. “The more extreme the needs, the more upward potential there is. That itch really never gets scratched.
“It’s like an addict — they never kick the habit, they just learn how to manage it. That taste is always there. Why did Michael Jordan come back? If you’re at that level, there’s nothing else that can sate that need.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
Oliver edges China’s Liu in 110 hurdles
EUGENE, Ore. — Denver’s David Oliver, the bronze medalist in the 110 hurdles at the 2008 Olympics, won the event at Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic in 12.94 seconds, besting Liu Xiang of China by 0.06.
In other events, defending champion Allyson Felix finished third in the 400 meters, and world champion Caster Semenya placed second in the 800 in her American debut.
Amantle Montsho of Botswana won the 400 in 50.59 seconds, while Felix crossed in 51.41 to trail fellow American Debbie Dunn by 0.04. Felix is a three-time world champion and a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 200.
Semenya was timed in 1 minute, 58.88 seconds to finish 0.59 behind Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica. The South African won the event at the 2009 world championships but was unable to complete for much of last year because of controversial gender testing.
In the first meeting between American Carmelita Jeter and Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser since 2009, Jeter won the 100 in a meet- record 10.70, a world best this season. Fraser finished fourth in 10.95. The pair have met 15 times, with Jeter holding an 8-7 advantage.
Jamaican Steve Mullings won the 100 in a meet-record 9.80, the third-best time on American soil, while Walter Dix defended his Pre 200 title in 20.19 seconds.
Triple threat
The top three athletes with all-time best times in the 110-meter high hurdles are expected to compete in the 2012 London Olympics
1. Dayron Robles, Cuba
June 12, 2008, Ostrava, 12.87
2. Liu Xiang, China
July 11, 2006, Lausanne, 12.88
3. David Oliver, U.S.
July 16, 2010, Paris, 12.89
Lower times raise the bar
David Oliver, 29, of Denver will be gunning for the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2012 London Olympics. A look at his ascension among the elite in track and field:
13.55
2004: As a senior at Howard University, posted a best time of 13.55 seconds.
13.29
2005: Ran a personal best of 13.29 in first full season on pro circuit; first year with Brooks Johnson.
13.20
2006: Climbed to No. 7 ranking in the world, with a best of 13.20 at Dubnica. Also won in Berlin (13.25).
13.14
2007: Ran a career best of 13.14 at Doha, where he was second. Finished year No. 9 in world rankings.
12.95
2008: Won bronze at Beijing (13.18). Won at Doha with career-best 12.95. Ranked No. 2 in the world.
13.09
2009: Placed first at Doha (13.09). Slowed by strained calf muscle. Ranked No. 5 in the world.
12.89
2010: Ascended to No. 1. Set American record in Paris on July 16, only 0.02 behind the current world record.
