EYES ON LONDON – TREY HARDEE

A TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE CAN choose one of two paths when training for the Olympic Games. The first way requires the athlete to focus on one event. After vigorous training that could easily last four years or take a lifetime, the person may make the Games and earn the opportunity to win the gold. Some may perceive this as a fairly simply method, employed by those limited to jumping high, throwing long or running fast. The second path leads to the decathlon — a combination of 10 events that covers each track and field discipline. This path is the scenic route and comes highly recommended.

At the 1984 Olympics, Carl Lewis competed in four different events and won four gold medals for his efforts. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) later nominated Lewis as the World Athlete of the Century, due in large part to the extensive medal….

[s2If current_user_is(s2member_level2)]collection he accumulated in his career. At the 1996 Games, Michael Johnson competed in two different events and received two gold medals in a historic moment that made him one of the most renowned track athletes of all time. This summer, Trey Hardee will compete in the decathlon at the London Olympic Games. He’ll face the world’s best in one of the world’s most grueling competitions.

The opportunity to win 10 different medals doesn’t exist for decathletes. After competing for two long days, the winner of the Olympic decathlon will receive just one medal. Athletes putting in just under 10 seconds of work will receive the same amount of hardware. But the decathlon gold medalist will walk away with something more precious than any medal — the title of World’s Greatest Athlete.

Hardee’s track and field career started with one event: the pole vault. After he didn’t make the varsity basketball squad his junior year of high school, Hardee joined the track and field team and picked up a pole. Clearly, the pole vault requires a special type of athlete. “To start pole vaulting, you have to be a little naïve at first,” Hardee says, “and to keep doing it, you have to be a little bit crazy.”

He committed to pole vault at Mississippi State out of high school — a school located only a few hours away from his hometown of Birmingham, Ala. After seeing his raw talent, paired with his size and speed, his coaches decided to throw him into nine additional events. Hardee remembers when the coaches told him to try the decathlon and to “see how it goes,” but he remained skeptical of the transformation.

“The whole time I trained — even before my first decathlon — I was adamant that I’d just pole vault next year. But I did the first one, and that was that,” he said. As a freshman, he qualified for the NCAA Championships after completing his first outdoor competition. His initial performance only confirmed what his coaches already knew: Hardee was destined for greatness. During his two seasons with Mississippi State, he claimed a conference title and two top-five finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Moving forward, Hardee chose the second path, a path that eventually led him to the front doorstep of the 40 Acres — and his first Olympic Games.

In the summer of 2004, Mississippi State cut the track and field budget, scaling the program back significantly and eliminating their indoor program completely. Hardee’s coach moved to another school, leaving the then-junior to explore his options. After competing in the Texas Relays twice before, he returned to Texas and made the decision to become a Longhorn. “The UT athletic department and coaching staff is second to none,” he says.

Hardee competed in his third Texas Relays as a Longhorn and won the event with 7,839 points. He also claimed his first national title that same year. In 2006, he set the NCAA decathlon record (8,465 points) at his senior Relays. Under the watchful eye of coaches Bubba Thornton and Mario Sategna, Hardee escalated to new heights. Within six years of his coaches pushing him to train for the decathlon, Hardee headed to Beijing for his first Olympic Games.

He placed second in the 2008 Olympic Trials, right behind Bryan Clay. Insiders expected the two to battle for the gold when they competed later that summer. And they were right, up until the seventh event.

After completing six events, Hardee sat in fourth place — only one spot away from a medal. The seventh event was pole vault, giving him the opportunity to climb the leader board and into gold medal contention. Pole vault was his event, the event that started his entire journey. But what happened next astounded onlookers.

“I no-heighted in pole vault,” Hardee explains.

He scratched all three jump attempts, losing his chance to bid for an Olympic medal. “I was in medal contention. I was sitting in fourth place and just needed to maintain my performance to win the bronze. I let my guard down, and before I knew it, it was over.” Clay went on to win the gold medal. Hardee’s first Olympic Games ended prematurely.

“I had to take a step back and figure out what I was doing and why I was doing it,” he adds. “I needed to raise my approach to another level, especially on the mental side of it; not only with the pole vault, but from start to finish.”

His revised approach to training paid off. In 2009, he set a new personal record (8,790 points) when he claimed the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

He retained the title in 2011 when he overpowered compatriot Ashton Eaton, becoming the second American male to win multiple decathlon World Championships.

Hardee finished with 8,607 points in Daegu, Korea. But the victory came at a price. During the javelin throw, he tore his right ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).

He completed the competition, wrapping his elbow to minimize the pain. And although he turned in his best time of the season for the 1500-meter run — and won his second gold medal — the injury threatened his chance of making the Games in London.

In September of last year, Hardee underwent reconstructive surgery to mend his elbow.

After spending months focused on his recovery, he returned to his roots to prepare for the Olympics:  the Texas Relays. “The Texas Relays always set the tone,” he says. “It’s the first step on the path for the season.” Hardee only competed in the long jump, the discus and the hurdles this year. Following the advice of Sategna, Hardee competed in his first full decathalon at the Trials.

Hardee continues to focus on his recovery, accelerating the process from 12 months down to nine. But after placing second at the Olympic Trials and earning his spot on Team USA, Hardee is ready. He’s ready to follow the path to the top of the podium in London.

“I feel as good as I’ve ever felt,” Hardee says. “The confidence grows every week. I definitely consider myself the [Olympic] favorite.”