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Tuesday, September 19
New-look Heard has medal in mind
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- At 34, when most sprinters have passed
their peak, Floyd Heard has reached his.
Heard, ranked No. 1 in the world in the 200 meters in 1986 as a
Texas A&M freshman and having run his career-best of 19.88 seconds
in 1987, returned from the land of the forgotten this year.
He lowered his personal-best to 19.87, finished second at the
U.S. Olympic trials at Sacramento, Calif., in July, and made his
first Olympic team. Of course, it helped that Michael Johnson and
Maurice Greene, expected to be the 1-2 finishers at the trials,
both pulled up with injuries during the final.
"It was a surprise to make the team after three tries not
making the team," the rejuvenated Heard said.
Heard's revival began last year, the third consecutive season he
had thought about quitting the sport.
"People were saying, 'Floyd is old, he's not fast anymore,' "
Heard said.
In 1997 and 1998, Heard didn't run well at the USA Championships
and didn't get invited to the lucrative European meets, leaving him
discouraged.
"But I didn't want to end it that way because it wasn't on my
terms," he said. "If an athlete is going to retire, it should be
on his terms, not someone else's. Retirement? That's what people
were expecting me to do."
An injury to his right foot in March last year again triggered
thoughts about retirement.
A couple of months after the injury, Heard decided he wanted to
resume running. Coach Tom Tellez told him to wait until the fall.
He had been training under Tellez since 1988 and trusted and
respected his judgment.
He waited. While waiting, he reassesed his priorities.
"I decided to make some sacrifices," he said.
Those sacrifices included a big change in diet. No more fried
foods, no more fast foods, no more fattening foods, no more red
meat. Heard began eating more vegetables, chicken and pasta.
He also stopped drinking. "I put beer and liquor down," Heard
said.
"I told the coach I would give 100 percent, and I said let's
see where we can go from there," he said. "He was giving me 100
percent of him, but I wasn't giving him 100 percent. I didn't think
that was right."
The change in food and liquid intake resulted in a 20-pound
weight loss -- from 195 to 175.
Heard also changed his mental outlook. Previously, he was more
concerned with how others were running than trying to run his own
race. If he didn't come out of the curve in the lead, he didn't
think he could win.
He also stopped "chasing money" and started "chasing
victories."
Another factor in Heard's revival was his desire to win for
Tellez and for Tellez's wife, Kay, who had a serious liver ailment.
"She's been a big inspiration for me," he said.
The final part of the puzzle was to try and satisfy himself and
his family.
His newfound dedication was successful, and his mother Fannie
and sister Barbara will come to watch him run in their first trip
outside the United States.
With no clear-cut favorite in the 200, Heard is in the mix of
favorites.
"I'm not expecting less than winning," he said. "Everything
is falling into place.
"If I'm supposed to be on the podium, I'll be there, but I'm
not a visionary."
Heard's last official training session with Tellez was Aug. 8,
when the longtime coach formally retired. Tellez still is Heard's
unofficial coach through the games, but he won't be in Sydney so he
can be with his ailing wife.
"It was very touching when we finished the final workout,"
Heard said. "I had tears in my eyes. He believed in what I could
do. He never doubted. He never asked for payment from any of his
athletes, not from Carl Lewis, not from Leroy Burrell, not from
Mike Marsh, not from anyone.
"I asked what I could do for him. He just said, 'Bring me back
two Olympic T-shirts, one extra large and one large,' for him and
his wife.
"It also would be nice to bring him home a gold medal.
Especially after what he and his wife have been going through for
the past year. He's had an athlete on every Olympic team since
1980."
Heard said he probably would compete for another year, then try
to go into coaching.
"I don't question or say what's supposed to happen," he said.
Especially after this year, when no one figured he would make
his initial Olympic appearance at such an advanced age.
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