News04 Apr 2007


Patience the key for Felix Sanchez as he seeks third World title

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Felix Sanchez negotiates a hurdle on the way to his win in Padua (© Giancarlo Colombo)

Felix Sanchez doesn’t anticipate another dominating reign in the 400m Hurdles like his anytime soon.

The 2004 Olympic champion couldn’t be happier after making the event his showcase for nearly four-year span that included 43 consecutive victories with 36 finals wins and the 2001 and 2003 World Championship titles.

After injury-plagued seasons in 2005 and 2006, the 29-year-old Dominican is content to be in the unfamiliar position as a challenger in 2007 in the event that last year saw five athletes run 48.05 or faster.

“I’m a person that loves the sport,” Sanchez said. “When I was winning, I encouraged my competition. I wanted to be pushed to the wire with three or four guys under 47.5. I wanted to be part of an event that is historical for people talk about to remember. Those are the races that you live for.’’

World title pursuit in Osaka

Sanchez anticipates the World Championships final in Osaka this year could shape up to be such a competition, particularly with the rise of Americans Bershawn Jackson and Kerron Clement.

Sanchez recalled watching their development while sidelined with injury was among the most difficult things that he has encountered during his career.

“It was frustrating knowing that I could run those times for the last three or four years,” Sanchez said.  Now, there is competition and here I am injured and I cannot enjoy the experience.’’

Sanchez will open the 2007 season at his own invitational named in his honour in the Dominican Republic on 12 May. The 2007 season will not be focused on medals or times but an injury-free campaign.
 
“I just want to go out here for the love of competition,” Sanchez said. “I miss competing and being out there. Winning is not important but being competitive. Don’t get me wrong. I am still going to go after a third World Championships but the last two years have taught me patience and to take one race at a time.’’

Difficult times

His experience in a driving rainstorm in the 2005 World Championships final on a chilly August evening was perhaps the most symbolic turning point for Sanchez.

Sanchez, who ranks eighth on the all-time 400m Hurdles list at 47.25, had battled to advance to the final with a season-best 48.24 despite missing five weeks of training in three months leading up to Helsinki because of a calcium deposit on the outside of his right foot, and having strained left calf muscle.

Sanchez wore steeplechase spikes in the preliminaries and semifinals to allow his foot to “breathe,” but switched to a new spike with a modified spike plate for additional “spring.’’ But Sanchez only made it around the first turn before crumpling to the track in tears around with a strained right hamstring. Sanchez called it tears of frustration rather than pain.

“I could have gotten the bronze medal but I don’t run for third,” Sanchez said. “Bershawn looked great and knew he was going to run fast. If I was going to have any chance, I had to get a spike to allow me to be competitive.’’

Sanchez’s competitiveness also got the best of him in 2006 when he spontaneously jumped into a race at the Felix Sanchez Invitational in Santo Domingo despite missing nearly two weeks of training because of a calf strain.

Purposely he did not bring a uniform nor spikes on the trip to resist the temptation to run but “bravado and pride” got the best of him. Sanchez had to be carried off the track after falling to the track with 110m to go. The injury kept him out of most of the 2006 season.

“They were coming out to see me but I knew that should not have run,” Sanchez said. “I was thinking about maybe third or fourth and to just go run but after the eighth hurdle, I picked it up dramatically and pushed it to hard trying to win.’’

Good start for 2007

Sanchez ended the 2006 season on a high-note after defeating Bershawn Jackson in his season finale in Padua, Italy, for his first victory in eight races. Knowing he wasn’t in optimal condition, Sanchez ran a conservative race to overtake Jackson down the stretch.

“It was a great feeling not because I beat him but more that I won,” Sanchez said. “I forgot what it was like to win after almost two years without breaking a tape. It motivated me to be the best and that I can do it again.’’

Nothing to prove

Sanchez said that competition is now his motivating force after achieving his career goals of winning an Olympic gold medal in 2004 and two World Championships.

After his Olympic win, Sanchez retired his trademark flashing light wristband. Sanchez had worn the souvenir from the 2000 Olympics as motivation after failing to advance to the final in Sydney. In 2005, Sanchez donated the wristband to the IAAF for a charity auction.

“To be honest after I won the Olympics, I could have retired,” Sanchez said. “I had nowhere to go. There was no motivation in training. There was no competition from anyone in the world. I was the best hands down.’’

Successful partnership with Mainwaring

 Sanchez trains at West L.A. College in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City, Calif. with Avondale Mainwaring, his coach since completing his collegiate eligibility at the University of Southern California where he won the 2000 NCAA title in his senior year.

The training group also includes fellow hurdlers Shevvon Stoddart and Sheena Johnson and Jerome Davis, a 1999 World Championships 4 x 400m gold medallist.

Sanchez developed an immediate bond with Mainwaring, who prescribed strenuous workouts at 6am to help Sanchez maintain his focus. Sanchez confirmed that there were trying times in the beginning when he had difficulty completing workouts.

On their, first meeting, he also handed Sanchez an envelope with a piece of paper on Sanchez’ projected times for the year.  Among the marks that season was 47.5 in the 400 Hurdles for Sanchez, who had never broken 48 seconds.

“That’s what struck me the most,” Sanchez said. “He said I could run these times if I did what he said. The first year kept me humble and took me out of my comfort zone. I didn’t agree with him and I thought this guy is crazy but I slowly started seeing improvement.”

Sanchez has done little to deter from the training regimen since. Although Mainwaring gave Sanchez the option of choosing his workout time, Sanchez still prefers mornings, although now at 7:30am instead of 6 to remain humble.

Future in coaching
   
After his athletics career is done, Sanchez would like to pursue coaching. He’s already gotten a start at the high school level at Harvard-Westlake, a private school in the Los Angeles area, where he has assisted for the last seven years.

It’s quite a coaching staff the includes 1992 Olympic 400m champion Quincy Watts, American 800m record holder Johnny Gray and Jerome Davis. Sanchez also serves as a personal tutor for Candice Davis, a senior at USC who placed fourth in the 60m Hurdles in the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

Ron Allice, Sanchez’s coach at USC where he donated a set of hurdles after his Olympic victory, said that coaching would be a perfect fit for Sanchez because of extreme mental preparation for each race.

Sanchez watches endless hours of videotapes of his own races and those of his opponents to plots race strategies and stride patterns. In high school, Sanchez used to jump a fence to sneak on the track for extra practice on weekends. 

“Some people rely on their natural ability but he doesn’t leave anything to chance from a preparation standpoint, physically or mentally,” Alice said.

Kirby Lee for the IAAF

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