Larry Wade is lucky to be alive, let alone challenging for an Olympic berth at the US Olympic Athletics Trials.
The 110m hurdles, first-round on Saturday and semifinals and final on Sunday, will be Wade's first competition since he underwent open heart surgery in May.
"I was concerned about being here, but with the blessing of the Lord I am here," said Wade, who doesn't have his family in the stands because it didn't occur to him to buy them tickets.
Wade's medical problems started on Easter Sunday, when he was involved in an auto accident. He returned to training two days later -- with 15 stitches in his head -- but continued to suffer from headaches and cold sweats.
Four trips to the hospital failed to turn up a cause. Finally, his HSI club teammate Inger Miller, who looked after him after the accident, urged him to go one more time.
When he did, he was rushed immediately to surgery, where doctors opened his chest to relieve a buildup of fluid near his heart.
Doctors said that without the operation he would have died.
Against all the odds, Wade now has a chance to claim an Olympic berth and make up for his failure to qualify for last year's world championship team because of cramping suffered during the US trials.
"I'll just concentrate on what I do," said Wade, whose excellent 1999 season included a time of 13.01sec. "The main thing is to focus on what I can do, even though I have ups and downs."
Wade credits his coach John Smith as the inspiration for his quick return.
Smith said he encouraged the 25-year-old athlete to keep his Olympic dreams alive, to keep his spirits up after his ordeal, and also "because I thought he could.
"I thought we had enough time," Smith said. "The question was if the inside (of Wade's body) could take the intensity needed.
"When Larry asked me when is my first race and I told him the Olympic Trials, he told me, 'You're crazy.'
"But I told him, let's do the training. Concentrate on the training, and we'll see," Smith said. "Now it wouldn't surprise me for him to be in the top three,” – (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
