DEL.ICIO.USGeorgia freshman sprints onto world stage
Torrin Lawrence has posted fastest 400 meters in the world this year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 23, 2009
Athens — College track and field is not usually a spectator sport. But any Georgia fan would have been jumping up and down had they watched the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay run by freshman Torrin Lawrence on Valentine’s Day in Arkansas.
Thanks to a first-leg bump that nearly knocked the Bulldogs out of the race, Lawrence trailed Florida’s Calvin Smith by at least 10 yards (and a few credentials) when he took the baton on the final leg. The Gators — Georgia’s most bitter rival — were the nation’s No. 1-ranked relay team and Smith is a U.S. Olympian and past 400-meter champion.
Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com
Georgia freshman Torrin Lawrence, who’s posted the fastest world time (46.18) this year in the 400 meters say, ‘I don’t think I’ve run my best race.’
Not only did Lawrence blow past Smith for the win, his split of 45.1 seconds caused the track world to take notice.
“The fastest I’ve ever had indoors,” Georgia’s sprints coach Jon Stuart said. “One of the best performances I’ve seen in my 17 years of coaching.”
And this was Meet 6 of Lawrence’s collegiate career. He also ran what was the fastest 400 meters (46.18) in the world this year during that same meet. He debuted four weeks earlier with the world’s fastest 200-meter indoor time this year, 20.77. That still stands.
World, Torrin Lawrence. Torrin Lawrence, world.
“Yeah, I really have surprised myself,” Lawrence said. “I thought I was going to come in [to college] and kind of go backwards.”
Not quite. As the Bulldogs travel to Lexington, Ky., for this weekend’s SEC Indoor Championships, Lawrence may be on course to become Georgia’s best sprinter ever.
Teammate Justin Gaymon, a two-time All-American and four-time SEC champion, probably best puts Lawrence’s feats into perspective:
“It’s pretty much unheard of for a freshman to come out and run crazy times like he has in the beginning of the season,” Gaymon said. “Usually they’ve already run ridiculous times at world juniors or something like that. I guess you could say it was unexpected.”
Lawrence was indeed a late-bloomer in high school. He didn’t compete in varsity track until his junior season. Georgia noticed him after the first meet of his senior season in which he ran a 47.2-second 400 meters, a 10.5 100 meters and 20.2 200 meters — all in one meet.
“That’s when we went, ‘Wow,’ ” Stuart said.
Lawrence, an Air Force Junior ROTC squadron leader in high school, doesn’t fit the mold of the prototypical world-class sprinter. He doesn’t wear gold spikes or predict victorious outcomes. He says insecurity motivates him.
“I have a thing going into every race where I think I’m going to lose,” he said. “It makes me run faster. I don’t like to lose.”
That was Lawrence’s mindset as Georgia lined up for the 4x400 final in Arkansas.
“That day I was so nervous going to the 4x4,” Lawrence said. “I knew Calvin Smith was going to be running anchor for Florida. I kind of knew that Florida was going to be in the lead when I got the baton. So I was real nervous. I just wanted to be close to them.”
Instead Lawrence finished in front. And now he’s the one being chased.
“I know that I can do better,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve run my best race.”
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