Interview with Travis Padgett of Clemson

by Tom Borish

Padgett holds the NCAA record in the 100 meters at 9.89 seconds (Kirby Lee)

After placing fourth in the 100 meter dash at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, how much does it mean to you to now represent the U.S. as an alternate in the 100 and being a part of the 4x100 meter relay?

It means a lot to me to be part of the U.S. team because I've trained so hard to prepare myself for the Olympic Games. I can remember when I was young watching it on TV and hoping one day to be a part of that. It means a lot to me, and I'm very excited about going and representing the United States.

As the collegiate record holder in the 100 meters with your time of 9.89 seconds, what did the race feel like to you on that day in Eugene? Was it the perfect race you've always dreamed of running?

I felt like that was my best race. Everything that I practiced and planned coming into the meet, I executed. My start was probably the best I had all season, so I was very pleased with that. I didn't think I was going to run that fast, but it did feel good as I came out the blocks. It was something I've wanted to do since I came to Clemson, which is break the NCAA record. I'm proud of that.

You'll be competing in Europe soon in preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games. What meets will you be competing in and what will your training consist of considering you had to peak for the U.S. Olympic Trials?

Right now we leave Friday, the 18th, to leave for Europe. We're going to do some training there and we're running in a couple of meets. I'm going to be running the 100 meters as well. They're going to try to put our 4x1 together, to see where they're going to place us. My first meet will be in Sweden, which I believe will be July 22. Then from there, we go to London and then to France. My training consists mostly of curve work, since I may be running first or third leg from what I've been told. I'm also getting myself ready for the 100 as well, since we don't really know (Tyson) Gay's situation right now.

Former Clemson standout Shawn Crawford will look to defend his Olympic title in the 200 meters. Have you had the chance to reach out to him and what kind of advice has he given you?

I've talked to Shawn a couple of times. He doesn't really give me any advice, he likes to do a lot of cutting up and stuff. He's a lot of fun to be around. Even though he hasn't given me that much advice, just to watch him warm up and how he approaches things, I've learned from that.

When did you realize that the sport of track & field was your calling compared to your football career? Do you miss being out on the gridiron?

I miss football more when I'm actually at a game. I start having flashbacks about football. I really thought track was my calling my freshman year when I was able to run 10 flat at regionals. I thought I could really do something with this.

At 5-foot-8, your top end speed is unmatched considering your height. As we saw at the U.S. Trials, how do you best maximize your speed during each phase of the 100 meters?

In practice we try to stay down in our drive phase at least 30 or 40 meters. I want to pick up as much speed as possible before I come up out of my drive phase. After that, it's mainly pumping my arms harder to try and match everyone's stride. Being at my height, I have to cover a lot of ground to keep up with the guys that have longer legs. We've been working on my stride pattern.

In April, you claimed your third consecutive ACC championship in the 100 meters. After such a long season of trying to peak at the right times, such as the early conference meet, what works best for you when trying to stay healthy and fit over the long haul?

We trained to peak toward the NCAA Championships. The meets during the season, I want to win those, but I wasn't trying to break any records. I just gradually try to get faster over the meets we run in. We aim to do our best at the NCAAs. We actually backed out on our speed workouts around time of the NCAAs, to work on endurance-type stuff. Then we started to do speed work after NCAAs so I could try and compete at the trials.

I'm sure one of the disappointments of the season was not being able to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 4x100 meter relay after a lane violation in the prelims at the NCAA East Region Championships. Now that you're a part of the U.S. Olympic 4x100 meter relay, what did that experience teach you as you now try to run for gold?

I was a little upset we didn't get a chance to run the 4x1 at the NCAA Championships. I feel like we had one of the best teams, and I think we could have won the national title. But now being part of the Olympic 4x1 team, I'm going to try and make the best of it. I don't think anyone's relay team can match up to ours. We have four guys that have run under 10 seconds, so I think we could possibly try and break the world record.

Stepping outside the track, how was the overall experience for you at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene?

I've never been at a track meet like that. Eugene is called Tracktown USA and the people are so supportive. The name really fits. I learned a lot from watching the professional athletes and how they prepare. I think the times we were running in the 100 meters were because of the fans. They were all hollering and calling out your name, it was almost like running in front of a crowd at a football game. It was unbelievable.

I'm sure the recent success on the track must have drawn attention to perhaps leave Clemson early to turn professional. Has this crossed your mind at all? What are your long terms goals as an athlete in the sport?

Right now I haven't made any kind of decision. I've thought about turning professional, but it would have to be the right situation. I'm just focusing on trying to be part of the Olympic 4x1 team, and helping the U.S. to a gold medal.