03/01/2010 - 14:35
2010: The Year of T2
by Devon Jeffreys

Terrence Trammell keeps piling up the wins in 2010 and Sunday's finish in Albuquerque, New Mexico was his best one yet.

Terrence raced to the 60m hurdles title at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday in a time of 7.41, his best finish this season, 13 hundredths of a second ahead of second place David Oliver.

TT broke down the strategy that led him to the title in a post-race conversation with David Monti for Universal Sports:

"My focus was just to make sure I was aggressive the first three hurdles, making sure I was snapping my lead leg down, refocus on hurdles four and five, and run all the way through the tape," Trammell said. "I feel great. I'm just grateful to be able to come out and win again."

In the process of capturing his fifth career USA Indoor Championship, T2 improved his time by at least one tenth in each race. He cruised through the prelims with the second best time at 7.62. In the semifinals, he turned it up to finish first overall with a 7.52. Then TT let it all go in the finals, pulling out in front and hurdling his way through the field with his best time of 2010.

Terrence said that he utilized a bit of strategy, watching the races before his, to decipher certain characteristics of each start:

"I noticed that the starter was holding the athletes for awhile," he said. "I just wanted to make sure I had a clean start. I didn't want to jeopardize anything."

Ever the competitor though, T2, who has now won his first four meets of the year, was not satisfied:

"I think my start wasn't what it should have been, I was trying not to jump," he told USA Track and Field. "I still have time to improve before Doha."

Terrence's victory qualified him for the World team, which will go for it all at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, March 12-14. Terrence told the Associated Press that making it to the Worlds is harder than it looks, and quite an honor:

"I've always said it's tougher to make the team than it is to win a medal," said Trammell, who took silver in the 110 hurdles at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. "We just have so much talent in lanes one through eight. I just think they raised the bar and they make me focus to do the best I can do."

NEXT UP
Terrence has less than two weeks to train for the IAAF World Indoor Championships, to take place March 12-14 in Doha, Qatar. T2 will race against the world's best in the 60m and has his sights set on topping his time at the US Championships.

"I expect the best in Doha," he said.

RELATED STORIES
U.S. Indoors produces 'solid' world team (AFP, February 28, 2010)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jexWJPzLQqa2viwUzl_Kr...
Terrence Trammell rolls (The Boston Herald, March 1, 2010)
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/general/view/20100301ter...
Trammell wins 5th indoor hurdles championship (AP, February 28, 2010)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKnp1PKxG3Dqsb2LAiYqyK...
Sprinters enjoy high times at Nationals (Universal Sports, March 1, 2010)
http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=453955.html
2010 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Quotes - Day 2 (USATF, February 28, 2010)
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2010_02_28_17_00_03

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