By CGTN’s Shunshun Wen
LaShawn Merritt, from the United States, made his Olympics debut at the 2008 Beijing Games. Then, at the age of 22, he ran a time of 43.65 seconds in 4*400 final, 0.99 seconds faster than second place, Jeremy Wariner.
The success brought him under the spotlight.
In 2008, he completed a break-out year by helping the US relay team win gold in the Chinese capital, and last year, the success was just repeated in Rio.
As the defending champion, Merritt was considered as the favorite to win the gold again at London 2012 Olympic Games./ VCG Photo
Looking back at that glorious moment, when asked about the difference in preparation between being the team athlete and the individual one, Merritt said that he has been focusing on individual sports, so he felt very glad and got a special experience by doing the sport on the track as a team member for the first time, not to say the 4×400 meter relay is something that the US always takes great pride in.
As the defending champion, Merritt was considered as the favorite to win the gold again at the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, Merritt injured his hamstring before the track and field events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. As a result, he had no choice but to give up in a qualifying heat of the 400-meter race at the London Olympics. When talking about it, Merritt expressed his sadness and pity for missing the game and what he would work together with alongside his team.
Although 30-year-old is not an old age, it may be seen as the twilight for a track and field athlete. /VCG Photo
Thirty years old is not old, however, it may be seen as the twilight for a track and field athlete. For Merritt, both the mental part and physical part challenges him a lot at this age, but it seems that the physical part is tougher, which sometimes is one thing that a person cannot control.
Although the biggest challenge is health, what makes it more important for Merritt is that he still remains excited on everything about track and field, full of expectations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
