| | Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- At 40, most track and field athletes
are retired or competing in Masters' events. Not Johnny Gray.
|  | | Johnny Gray, 40, says he might retire if he fails to make the Olympic squad. |
Gray is not looking for a rocking chair or ready to race against
his elders. Instead, he is ready to take on the young thoroughbreds
entered in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials, which begin
Friday at Sacramento State.
"There's no way I should be running these days," he said.
"When I was in my mid-20s, no 40-year-old was going to run with
me. I still have the (American record for the 800) since 1985.
They're going to have to make me retire."
Gray is reluctant to leave track because he has seen what has
happened to some of his former competitors, who now are woefully
out of shape, and he doesn't want to wind up like that.
"Look at Alberto Juantorena," Gray said, referring to the
Cuban who won the 1976 Olympic gold medal. "And there's David Mack
-- he's one huge guy.
"I'm still looking like a stick, while they have big guts.
That's what keeps me motivated. I don't want to look like that."
The wily, experienced Gray not only is a strong threat to make
the three-man U.S. team for 800 meters, he is an inspiration to a
lot of runners.
"I'm just trying to motivate the young guys to run fast," he
said.
"I'll take that advice," said Michael Stember, the
fourth-place finisher in last month's NCAA Championships, helping
Stanford win the team title.
While Gray doesn't want to look like an old man alongside his
younger rivals at the trials, that's the appearance he has given in
his last two races, finishing both in the 1-minute, 52-second
range, some 10 seconds slower than the U.S. record of 1:42.60 he
set 15 years ago.
Those poor performances were very uncharacteristic of Gray, but
there were some mitigating circumstances. He strained the right
calf muscle in April and couldn't even jog the rest of the month or
in early May.
"I thought negatively that I couldn't make the Olympic team,"
he said.
Once the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Gray resumed training, he was
unable to emulate his practices of the past.
"At age 40, I couldn't train like when I was 27," Gray, the
father of 17-, 15-, and 3-year-old boys, said. "At 27, I could
train hard and run. I can't do that at 40."
Still, Gray is convinced that the injury is healed and he'll be
ready to regain the form that helped him win the Pan American Games
gold medal last year -- 12 years after he won his first gold.
"I still have the ability at 40 to run 1:43 or 1:44," said
Gray, whose best last year was 1:45.38, "but I can't do it without
proper training. Now, I've had three weeks of training to get ready
to run 1:45.
"I did it last year -- I didn't run nationals but came back and
won at the Pan Am Games. Some people put me down because I ran
1:52. Don't."
It would be a mistake, because of his distinguished career. In
addition to his American outdoor record and two Pan Am gold medals,
Gray was the bronze medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games, he's a
four-time Olympian, a seven-time national outdoor champion, and the
U.S. indoor record-holder (1:45.00).
From 1984-97, Gray broke 1:45.00 every year -- 14 seasons.
If the long, lean Gray, who likes to run from the front, fails
to make another Olympic team, he admits he might consider quitting.
"Making a fifth Olympic team is my focus," he said. "If I
don't, maybe I'll retire."
"Johnny has rededicated himself to making the Olympic team at
age 40," his coach, Joe Douglas, said.
If Gray doesn't realize his goal, it won't be the fault of the
fans at Hornet Stadium.
"California fans have always supported me," said Gray, a
native of Los Angeles who lives in Agoura Hills. "I know they will
be supporting me again.
"There'll be a lot of old fogeys in the stands rooting for me.
I open eyes to a lot of athletes who will be doubting themselves.
"I've also helped bring a lot of athletes out of retirement.
And I've helped athletes, who are about 33, to keep going. They say
if Johnny can do it, I can do it, too."
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