Local Sports

By HAROLD WILSON
Staff Writer

LaKadron Ivery insists on doing things the fast way. Just minutes after her flight touched down in Eugene, Ore., on Tuesday evening, the Olympic track and field hopeful hurried her way toward the airport’s baggage claim area.

Just minutes after her flight touched down in Eugene, Ore., on Tuesday evening, the Olympic track and field hopeful hurried her way toward the airport’s baggage claim area. All in hopes of claiming a long-awaited berth on the U.S. Olympic track and field team.

Ivery is one of more than 30 hopefuls looking to make the squad in the 200-meter dash, which begins today at 9:20 p.m. CST with the qualifying round.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are set for Saturday and the finals on Sunday. The top three finishers advance to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, set for Aug. 8-24.

In the four years since qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and making the semifinals in the 200 and quarterfinals in the 100, Ivery remained fast enough to get back a second time.

“I’m always moving super-duper fast,” admitted Ivery, who starred at John Tyler High School and Baylor University before signing with NIKE and turning professional in 2006. “It feels good (to be back). This time it’s a little different. I’m maturing. Back then I was nervous. Now I’m real secure. I’m happy about my talent.”

Technically a sprinter, Ivery performed more like a hurdler the past year to get over a number of obstacles. She graduated from Baylor in the summer and soon after got married in August — one month before she suffered the loss of her father, Sammy Ivery.

Even with her father gone, Ivery feels the presence of the man she said made her feel “confident.”

“Now it seems like he’s everywhere with me,” she said. “Now as I pray, (his spirit) continues to travel with me, keep me calm and sane.”

Though capable of long jumping and running all relays as well as the 200, the shorter dash always appeared to Ivery’s favorite. But after missing all of 2007 tending to personal business, the order flip-flopped. Ivery failed to make the trials in the 100, but earned her way in the 200 at a last-chance meet in Provo, Utah in May. She managed to clock a time of 23.10 seconds to just put her ahead of the chopping block and 29th out of the 31 declared entrants as of Wednesday.

Allyson Felix, the reigning world champion in the 200, leads a competitive field with a blistering entry mark of 21.81.

“I started off saying I would go in the 100, 200 and long jump,” said Ivery, who trained with John Tyler cross country coach Barbara Collins from September of 2007 until March before going back to Waco to work with Baylor associate coach Michael Ford. “I don’t practice the 200; it comes natural. I’m experienced in the 100. I have the speed for it but I have to get a new coach for my block start. Next year I’ll have to perfect that. I honestly thought I would go in the 100; the 200 was one of the races I liked the least. Now I like it.”

The 200, Ivery stressed, affords a luxury the unforgiving 100 rarely does not — a slow start.

“The 100 — it’s quick, fast. One wrong movement messes up everything,” said Ivery, the Baylor record-holder in 100 and 200 meters. “The 200 is fluid, flows. If you mess up you still have 100 meters to correct.”

Coming into the 2004 meet, Ivery boasted a noticeably faster 200 qualifying time (22.87). That same year she won the 200 at the NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean) 23-under games in Canada. The year before she captured NCAA Midwest Regional titles in the 100 and 200.

Prior to the break, Ivery climbed as high as No. 66 in the 100 and No. 87 in the 200 in the International Association of Athletic Federation world rankings back in 2006.

“2004 was awesome. For one I was coming from college,” Ivery said, pointing to being in a better rhythm back then with more collegiate meets and less breaks in between races. “This year I’m not running with as many burdens on my back: I’m married, I have a degree, and my dad is (done suffering). That set me up and got me to where I was (ready to) go. I’m going to give it all I got.”

Along with Felix, other notable entries in the 200 include Muna Lee, who won first last week in the 100 at the trials; Torri Edwards, the 2007 national champion in the 100; and Lauryn Williams, the 2005 world champion in the 100 and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the same event.

The only name Ivery worried about leading up to the trials though was her own.

“All I’m concerned with is lanes.,” said the 25-year old Ivery, who plans to run track for three more years before hanging up the spikes. I’m going round-by-round. I’m not a track fanatic. This is what I do because I love it. I just have to get out there and run and be in the top three every round and try and make it to Beijing.”

NOTES: Kilgore native Kenta Bell will be trying to qualify for his second straight Olympic Games. Bell, a 1995 graduate of Kilgore who attended college at Northwestern State, owns the third-best mark (56 feet, six inches) entering today’s qualifying round, which starts at 9:10 p.m. Bell finished 19th at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In the most recent world rankings, Bell was No. 19 in the triple jump. … Teddy Williams, another John Tyler graduate and Olympic Trials participant who runs for UT-San Antonio, is ranked No. 78 in the world in the 100.

LaKadron Ivery
()