Saturday, Jul. 12, 2008

Beijing and pros beckon Padgett

Clemson track star will head to Olympics as part of the 400 relay team

CLEMSON — Had Clemson sprinter Travis Padgett followed through on his commitment, he would probably be gearing up for Duke’s fall football practices instead of the Olympics.

The summer before his senior year in high school, Padgett pledged to the Blue Devils as a 5-foot-8 running back out of Shelby, N.C., in part because of the allure of a full scholarship.

He later backed out of the commitment upon deciding he had a better chance to make a career out of track — and Clemson offered to pay for three-fourths of his education.

“If I would have gone to Duke ... I wouldn’t have wanted to risk running behind a line like that,” Padgett said.

Instead Padgett, who recently completed his junior season, may be running among the fastest foursome in the world — and right into the opening stages of a promising professional career.

Padgett finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in last week’s U.S. trials with a personal-best time of 9.85 seconds, missing a berth in Beijing by a single spot and one-hundredth of a second.

Based on his performance, Padgett was invited to be a member of the national 400 relay team in China.

While six sprinters, including the top three 100-meter qualifiers, are in the pool for the relay squad, Padgett is a leading candidate and figures to run either the first or third leg because of his initial burst.

Beginning at an IAAF event next weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, Padgett is scheduled to compete with the relay team in three meets before traveling to Beijing.

With 100-meter champ Tyson Gay recovering from an injury suffered in the 200 heats, Padgett still believes there is a chance he could be called upon to run the event in the Olympics as the first alternate.

“They say (Gay’s injury) was a cramp, but the way he fell, it seemed like he might have pulled something,” Padgett said. “He’s one of the favorites to win it, so they’re not going to let him (out of the event) that easy.

“It was disappointing to come so close, but I still probably have two more Olympic years to make the (100) team. So I’m taking this as a learning experience.”

And, perhaps, a profitable one.

While Padgett says he has not made a decision, it appears a forgone conclusion he will bypass his final season of college eligibility and turn pro.

Shoe companies have dangled contract offers since he broke the regional record with a 10.0 flat as a freshman, but the ante has upped with the exposure he would bring as an Olympic athlete.

Padgett is believed to be mulling four-year contract offers with an annual starting salary of at least $500,000.

Furthermore, both Padgett and former Tigers sprint coach Charles Foster talk of their plans to retain a athlete-coach partnership through the next year.

Foster was not retained by Clemson after an embezzlement investigation led to longtime coach Bob Pollock’s resignation last month. The school has yet to name a new coach.

“I owe a lot to coach Foster,” Padgett said. “If the amount is substantial enough for me to come out, then I probably would.”

It was Foster’s sales pitch that influenced Padgett to choose Clemson over USC and UCLA for track. And Foster set up a yearly training regiment three years ago with an eye specifically on participating in this year’s Olympics.

Taller sprinters such as Carter and Jamaica’s Asafa Powell have become the norm as they have developed the ability to turn over their longer stride as quickly as others.

Yet Padgett has been able to compensate for his stature because of his explosive first steps, Foster said.

“His biggest enemy has always been fatigue,” Foster said. “He’s got pretty thick muscles, and the lactic acid builds up on them pretty quickly, so he’s had to build up a tolerance to that.

“With his height and build, we went beyond reality and expectations. Now, and he’ll tell you this, we don’t know how fast he can run. We plan to make drastic changes the next year so we can run with the guys like Gay, Powell. We have a plan of action to take where we can cover more ground per stride, and that’s our next move.”

The track world was introduced to Padgett in May 2003 when, as a prep sophomore, he stunningly beat the reigning 100-meter prep champ, Xavier Carter (a future national champ at Louisiana State and current pro star) at the Golden South Classic in Orlando, Fla.

A standout running back alongside his close second cousin, former USC receiver Travis Lee, Padgett nonetheless chose to quit football as a junior in order to focus on track.

He quit football one game into his junior season at Crest High to focus on track, only to decide to return for his senior season.

Despite disagreements with the football coaching staff, he rejoined the team as a senior and rushed for 1,624 yards in guiding the Chargers to a 3A state title with current Florida standout linebacker Brandon Spikes.

Padgett said he has been frequently asked why he never played football at Clemson by C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford, both gridiron starters who moonlight as sprinters during the spring.

But Padgett contends he did not want to get involved in the tug-of-war that could have ensued if he wound up earning a role as a kick return specialist.

Had he played a down, he would have to be put on football scholarship per NCAA rules.

“There was just too much into that for me to try it,” Padgett said.

“I never thought track would overshadow football for me.”