FAYETTEVILLE — Wallace Spearmon says he follows the athletic cliche of never looking at the past.
It’s the next race that’s important, one race at a time, etc.
Well, even Spearmon will admit that one race from his past still holds sway over him.
Spearmon, a former Fayetteville High School and Arkansas Razorbacks standout,will run the 60-meter dash at the USATF Classic today at the Tyson Track Center. Spearmon, 27, is in training for the 2012 London Olympics, where he hopes to make the USA team in the 200 and sprint relays.
Spearmon has made the Olympics before, finishing third in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But as the accomplishment began to sink it, race officials pulled Spearmon aside to tell him he had been disqualified for stepping outside of his lane during the race.
“This year, I just want to go out and try to redeem myself,” Spearmon said. “You’re not supposed to look at the past, but at the same time I’m a human being. Of course I remember what happened, and I don’t want it to happen again.”
Spearmon said he will continue to race as long as he is competitive, but he is already looking at alternatives. He was a standout high school football receiver and had scholarship offers, and he said he still has an urge to play football.
Unfortunately for Arkansas,Spearmon doesn’t have eligibility left, but Spearmon said he and the Dallas Cowboys - owned by former Razorback Jerry Jones - have talked about a possible tryout in the spring.
“I still want to play football, to this day,” Spearmon said. “I know it’s far-fetched. I’d definitely give it a shot.”
Spearmon first has to continue preparation for the 200, which has become very competitive internationally. Spearmon’s personal-best of19.65 seconds in 2006 was once the third-fastest time in track and field history, but now it’s seventh.
“If you’re going off stats, I’ll make the [Olympic] final but I won’t get a medal,” Spearmon said. “I don’t plan on that happening. I plan on coming home with something.”
Coming home is why Spearmon would leave his training base in Dallas to run an off event this weekend. Spearmon said he wanted to run in front of his hometown fans, and running the 60 will give him a chance to test his new start.
Spearmon has never been a tremendous starter in the 200 but compensated with his closing speed. The 60 requires a quick start for a sprinter to have any chance against quality competition.
“My start is actually looking like I have one, like I didn’t get shot by the gun,” Spearmon said. “Hopefully whenever I come out you’ll be able to see the improvement.”
The men’s 60 is a loaded field with runners such as Richard Thompson, Darvis Patton and Shawn Crawford. Thompson won the silver medal in the 100 at the 2008 Olympics, Patton has a silver from the 400 relays in 2004, and Crawford won gold in the 200 in 2004 and silver in 2008.
None of the sprinters will claim the 60 as their specialty, but once they line up in the blocks, nobody will want to finish anywhere but first. Spearmon said his main goal is to break his personal-best of 6.70 seconds, but he also wants to win, regardless.
“For someone like me, this is fun,” Spearmon said. “I’m an athlete, so at the end of the day I want to win.”
Today’s schedule
At Tyson Track Center, Fayetteville
TYSON INVITATIONAL
10 a.m. Men’s college pole vault
10:30 a.m. Women’s college 3,000
10:45 a.m. Men’s college 3,000
11 a.m. Women’s college triple jump
11 a.m. Men’s college triple jump
11 a.m. Women’s college weight throw
11:10 a.m. Women’s college 800
11:30 a.m. Men’s college 800
Noon Women’s 200
12:30 p.m. Men’s college weight throw
1 p.m. Men’s 200
1 p.m. Women’s high jump
1 p.m. Men’s high jump
1 p.m. Men’s pole vault
2 p.m. Women’s triple jump
2 p.m. Men’s triple jump
2 p.m. Women’s 3,000
2:15 p.m. Men’s 3,000
2:30 p.m. Women’s 800
2:40 p.m. Men’s 800
2:50 p.m. Women’s mile
3 p.m. Men’s mile
3:10 p.m. Women’s college 1,600 relay
3:30 p.m. Men’s college 1,600 relay
6 p.m. Men’s pole vault
6:55 p.m. Men’s 60 hurdles
7 p.m. Women’s 60 hurdles
7:15 p.m. Women’s 1,600 relay
7:24 p.m. Men’s 1,600 relay
USATF CLASSIC
5:15 p.m. Women’s shot put
5:50 p.m. Men’s shot put
6 p.m. Men’s 400
6:12 p.m. Women’s 1,500
6:21 p.m. Men’s mile
6:30 p.m. Men’s 60 preliminaries
6:43 p.m. Women’s 60 preliminaries
6:50 p.m. Women’s long jump
7:09 p.m. Women’s 60 hurdles
7:32 p.m. Men’s two mile
7:45 p.m. Men’s 60 final
7:52 p.m. Women’s 60 final
USATF Classic
WHAT USA Track and Field competition that includes 10 events featuring some of the world’s top professional track and field athletes.
WHEN Today
WHERE Tyson Track Center, Fayetteville
SCHEDULE Women’s shot put scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m., with women’s 60-meter final scheduled to close the competition at 7:52 p.m.
FEATURE EVENTS Men’s 60-meter field includes former Arkansas All-American Wallace Spearmon and Olympic medalists Shawn Crawford and Darvis Patton.
Women’s 60-meter field features Olympic gold medalists Veronica Campbell-Brown, a former Arkansas Razorback All-American, and Allyson Felix.
ADMISSION Free TELEVISION Event will be broadcast at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
Sports, Pages 21 on 02/11/2012