U.S. TRACK AND FIELD TRIALS: Spearmon returns to health

— Step by step, Wallace Spearmon has agonized over the video from the 200-meter final in Beijing.

Frame by frame, the sprinter studied the position of his feet, looking for where he possibly came down on the line of his lane.

In that Olympic race, Spearmon (Arkansas Razorbacks, Fayetteville) chugged his way to a bronze medal and then celebrated alongside good friend Usain Bolt, who broke the world record as he captured gold.

The merry moment wouldn’t last. Spearmon was later disqualified for a lane violation. There went his medal.

Since that disastrous day, Spearmon has watched the footage with a wary eye. He can clearly see one foot landing on the line.

It was a good call, he conceded. Only, he thought it was three consecutive steps on a line that led to a DQ.

“I didn’t know the rule,” he said.

Funny, there seems to be a lot of that lately.

USA Track and Field came under scrutiny for not having a procedure in place to break a third-place tie between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh in the women’s 100-meter final last weekend at the U.S. track trials.

USATF said a decision on how to resolve the dead heat will be announced after the women’s 200 on Saturday. The athletes can either have a runoff — a winner-take-all race — or resort to a coin flip. One of them could just bow out, too.

“I wish the best for them,” Spearmon said Wednesday. “But I have problems of my own.”

Namely, getting healthy.

Spearmon has been bothered by a chronically sore left Achilles tendon that he just can’t shake. But now, with qualifying in the 200 starting Friday, it’s starting to feel better.

Not great, just better.

“This is the closest I’ve been to healthy in a long time,” Spearmon said. “Just happy to be in the mix again.”

Spearmon’s not only in the mix, but he’s the clear favorite in the event. After all, Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay (Arkansas Razorbacks) aren’t running, while Walter Dix, who was bumped up to bronze in Beijing, is contending with a left hamstring issue.

“You never take any race lightly,” Spearmon said. “People come here and run the best times of their lives all the time. So you can never sleep on anyone.”

Spearmon, 27, is just elated to be able to step up to the starting line. His Achilles was so bad he couldn’t even walk, let alone sprint.

He also had to stay off the basketball court.

Spearmon fancies himself a pretty good player with a pretty decent jumper. In Dallas, where he trains, he frequently joins pickup games with his buddies. These aren’t just any buddies, either. They include Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley Jr. and Chicago Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer (Fayetteville).

“Yeah, I was the worst,” Spearmon said. “But I could maybe play ball in Europe.”

For now, he’ll stick with his day job.

Sports, Pages 15 on 06/28/2012

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