Arkansas stars Spearmon, Gay prepare for first pro meet

Posted 4:13PM on Tuesday 21st June 2005 ( 19 years ago )

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Two of the brightest young stars in track and field, former Arkansas Razorbacks teammates Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay, will debut as professionals at the 2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Carson, Calif., this week. ``You have to treat it like a normal track meet. Being my first pro meet I don't know what to expect,'' said Spearmon, a sophomore who won the 200 in a world-leading 19.91 seconds at the NCAA championships last week, then turned pro and signed with Nike. ``I kind of like having a roommate where you have a friend to wake you up and go joke and play around, but now it's more of a business,'' added Gay, a senior. Spearmon even thinks he and Gay could finish first and second in the 200 meters, but he was ready to defer to his older friend. ``If I had to speak for Tyson, I'd say he would go first instead of me,'' Spearmon said. Gay was injured last year during the Olympic Trials and Spearmon didn't make the squad, so both are trying to jump into the elite class to make Team USA for the 2005 World Championships. Spearmon also is coming off a knee injury, but he says the experience of running through pain for the Razorbacks this year made him more mentally tough. Spearmon, 20, is looking forward to facing Olympic champion Justin Gatlin in the 100 and 19-year-old LSU freshman Xavier Carter in the 200. Gay is also preparing for double-duty, although he says he'll concentrate on the 200 more. For both, the balancing act is a question of focusing on the finals. ``We always say, 'Spread you cheese wisely,''' Spearmon said. ``I had to learn last year that in the first round, some of the pros are stronger, because they're used to this, so I thought I might as well try to do something too. That's not for everybody. This year I'll try to run every round as easy as possible to get to the finals.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/6/132591