Jeremy Wariner

About Jeremy Wariner

Jeremy Wariner (born January 31, 1984, in Irving, Texas) is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championships medals. He is the son of Danny and Linda Wariner and the grandson of Korean War veteran C.V. Menting.

He attended Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, where he participated in multiple sports and was recognized for his outstanding speed. He was the 2002 Texas 5A state sprint champion at both 200m and 400m, setting high school bests of 20.41w and 45.57. Enrolling at Baylor University, he quickly established himself as an immense collegiate sprint talent under the guidance of Clyde Hart, coach of Baylor alumnus and two-time Olympic 400 m gold medal winner and nine-time world champion Michael Johnson. Somewhat hampered by injuries late in his freshman year, Wariner regained form as a sophomore, winning both the 2004 NCAA Division I indoor and outdoor 400 m titles. Later that year, he easily claimed the national 400 m title at the USATF Championships making him the favorite for the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

The youthful Wariner then made his first appearance on the world athletic stage by gliding through the preliminary rounds of the Olympics Games with his characteristically smooth sprinting stride. He would win two Olympic gold medals, the first in the open 400 m in a personal record 44.00 seconds and the second as the 3rd leg of the U.S. 4x400 m relay team. He is the first Caucasian man to win Olympic gold at 400 m since Viktor Markin in 1980. Following his Olympic successes, Wariner turned professional, foregoing the rest of his collegiate eligibility, though he remained at Baylor and continued to be coached by Clyde Hart.