Williams could be what track needs

By SHELLY ANDERSON
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
No matter how you map it, the halfway point between Athens, Greece, and Beijing, China, is not southern Florida.

Lauryn Williams doesn't have to draw on her college education to know that.

Yet that's where Williams was last week, at home in Florida. She hardly sounded like her normal upbeat self. Miserable was more like it.

"I'm just frustrated," the young track star said.

It turns out that despite all of her accomplishments _ putting herself on the world map at the University of Miami, winning the silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and winning the 100 gold and anchoring the winning 400 relay team at the 2005 world championships _ there is one thing Williams had never experienced.

"I've never been hurt before," Williams said with a sigh.

Before anyone gets too anxious, Williams' problem is a cranky hamstring, hardly unusual for a sprinter and probably not much of a setback with two years to go before the 2008 Beijing Games.

But when you're 22 and you've gotten used to your body responding to everything you ask, a minor injury can seem like a big deal.

Williams can't point to one incident that caused the injury, but she left the European circuit a couple of weeks ago because it was affecting her knee lift to the point that she ran the 100 in 11.40 seconds in a couple of races.

Last summer, she ran a personal-best 10.91 at a meet in Switzerland and won the world championships gold in 10.93. Her Olympic silver time was 10.96.

She has been going through daily rehab, including pool workouts, and hopes to be back overseas for at least some of the final five meets.

"It would be devastating" to miss the rest of the European season, said Williams, who wants to get back in competition and get her times back down after what she calls an off year.

"I'm just not the kind of person to lay down," she said. "People might say, 'Look at these times you're running,' but I understand I'm not perfect all the time. I can take a butt-whipping just like the next person.

"I worked really hard to get that silver medal and that gold medal. There's no reason to go hide in a closet."

No, that space is already full of fallen track stars _ most notably five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones and 2004 gold medalist and co-world record holder Justin Gatlin _ who have made many more headlines than Williams lately for much more dubious things than a simple injury. That is, testing positive for banned endurance boosters.

Unless we're all missing something here, Williams is the face of what her sport should be.

There's every reason to believe that the most exotic thing she ingests is an occasional bowl of Fast Flakes, her signature health cereal sold in some Pittsburgh-area supermarkets or available online at www.fastflakes.com.

Williams politely asked if those could be mentioned because she's embarrassed that word of the product hasn't spread and sales have been slow.

Imagine the difference between worrying about a little hamstring injury or a promotional item and living in constant fear that someone will detect the illegal substance you're using.

Williams has run with and against Jones and knows Gatlin, but has no patience or sympathy for those who use steroids or other banned performance enhancers.

"Disappointed, that's all," she said. "I don't like to talk about it at all. It's not a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sport. But there's nothing I can do to change it."

That's not entirely true. A long, productive, clean career by someone as outgoing and responsible as Williams is one way to help the sport recover and grow.

Williams is conscientious. Where track is big overseas and people show up at the runners' hotels, she takes the time to sign autographs and make herself available.

For those who really take an interest, she hands out hats and T-shirts. That's what Williams gave an older woman who presented her with a set of photos she had taken of her television screen during the 2004 Olympics when Williams was on.

"In our sport, we can't afford not to because in America nobody buys into the idea of track and field except in Olympic years," Williams said.

She also tries to lead by example by wearing "I am clean" wristbands and T-shirts.

If Williams' career is as promising as it has started out, she can do so much for track.

A little hamstring injury? When she looks back, she'll realize that's nothing.