Ayepecks Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Ex-Baylor star Wariner, coach split upHart says he and Olympic champion couldn't agree on deal What seemed like a storybook setup in Waco ? one designed to reap Olympic gold medals, world championships and even world records ? is no more. Legendary Baylor coach Clyde Hart announced Tuesday that he will no longer coach Jeremy Wariner, the reigning 400-meter Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion from Grand Prairie. Hart said he and Wariner could not come to terms on a new contract. "It's just business," Hart said Wariner told him. The dissolution comes at a surprising time, with the Beijing Games approaching in August and Wariner running the best times of his career and dominating the world in the 400. It also fractures an elite track and field triangle. Before he coached Wariner, Hart coached Michael Johnson, the five-time Olympic gold medalist and 400-meter world record holder from Skyline and Baylor. Johnson became Wariner's agent when Wariner made the move from Baylor sophomore to professional athlete after winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Hart, who turns 74 next month, said he has not spoken with Johnson about the split. Attempts to reach Wariner and Johnson through Deon Minor, a representative for Johnson's Ultimate Performance Sport Management, were unsuccessful Tuesday. Reached by phone, Minor asked a reporter to hold but never returned to the call. He did not respond to subsequent messages seeking a response to the split. Minor is a former two-time indoor NCAA 400-meter champion at Baylor under HartMORE AT SOURCE: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...er.2e04eca.html Pretty big news in Track & Field, especially with the Olympics coming up... hope it doesn't ruin his shot at a world record in the 400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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