News22 Jan 2003


No retirement and one lap remains better than two, for Miles-Clark

FacebookTwitterEmail

Jearl Miles-Clark with her husband and coach, J.J. Clark, (© Photo courtesy of University of Tennessee Sports Information Dep)

For America’s 36old Jearl MilesClark less is more. Despite the fact that she has run faster than any other North American woman for 800 metres (1:56.40, 1999), and was sixth on the World list with 1:56.41 in 2002, she's determined to stick with the one lap sprint as her speciality distance. 

"I'm a 400 metres runner first," said Miles-Clark the 1993 World 400m champion in a telephone interview from her new home in Knoxville, Tennesse. She relocated there from Gainesville, with her husband and coach, J.J. Clark, who is now in his first year as head women's track and cross country coach at the University of Tennesee.

A permanent move to the 800 metres would seem a natural choice as at 36, her best 400 metres time of 49.40 was run more than five years ago. Her best time last season was 50.27, more than a full second slower than the world leading 49.16 by Ana Guevara of Mexico. Also, although Miles-Clark was the third-fastest women in the World last year, both Guevara and Loraine Fenton of Jamaica combined to run faster than Miles-Clark a dozen times during the season.

So is it realistic that she can still get faster at the one lap sprint?

"Yeah, I truly believe that," confirmed Miles-Clark.

There is also the question of retirement, as Miles-Clark has little left to prove. As well as the 1993 World title, she already has three Olympic relay medals (two gold and one silver) in her trophy case. She also won the individual World Indoor 400m title in 1997, and has won multiple U.S. titles at both 400m and 800m, indoors and outdoors. However, she insists her career is not yet done.

"I'm going to run as long as I possibly can," she said, dismissing the possibilities of retirement and/or coaching. She plans to race at least another three years, and is targeting the 400 metres for her 2003 season, which she hopes will include both the World indoor and outdoor championships. "Right now we have in mind the 400.”

She opened her 2003 indoor season last Saturday at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, competing in both the 400 and 600 metres. She ran the 600 first in 1:31.52, than the 400 later in 54.00. Her younger sister-in-law Hazel Clark ran a separate section of the 600m, running slightly faster. Neither performance by Miles-Clark was particularly noteworthy, nor were they intended to be. "I ran just to get my feet wet," she said.

Next Saturday at New York City's Armory Track & Field Centre at the New Balance Games, she will attempt to break the U.S. best-ever time for 500m indoors, 1:09.75 set by her older sister-in-law, Joetta Clark, on March 2, 1985. It's a rarely run distance, one that Miles-Clark hasn't raced in a long time.

"I haven't raced one in ten years," she admitted, saying that her strategy for the race was simple. "Just got to hold on after the 400 metres."

David Monti (Race Results Weekly) for the IAAF

 

Pages related to this article
Disciplines
Loading...