LIVE

|

RACES

|

RESULTS

|

ENTRIES

|

SCHEDULE

|

INTERVIEWS

|

MEDALS

|

PICKS

|

CONTEST

BEIJING - It’s been two years since English Gardner stepped on the starting line at the World Championships, two years that included two torn hamstrings and a complete change in perspective for the American sprinter.

 

“I changed me, my mindset….I got my whole body in tune and finally everything is working out the way it’s supposed to,” Gardner said after the first round of the 100m.  

 

Sunday at the National Stadium proved to be a success for the 2013 World Championship finalist as Gardner cruised through the first round of heats in a time of 11.16, just a breath behind Rosangela Santos of Brazil. A year ago, the performance would have been close to a season’s best and a victory to even step confidently on the starting line after early success followed by career-threatening struggle. 

 

The success arrived during the 2013 season when Gardner won her second NCAA outdoor title in the 100m while at Oregon and clocked a personal best of 10.85 in the 100m, which culminated in a fourth-place finish at the World Championships in Moscow. A 21-year-old Gardner was on her way to becoming one of the greatest female sprinters in the world. 

 

2014 proved to be a different story however as two torn hamstrings during the professional transition threatened to change Gardner’s game forever. The year was highlighted by season’s bests of 11.01 in the 100m and 22.81 in the 200m, performances unlike the same confident Gardner of years past. 

 

With hardship came a change in perspective, and a decision that Gardner knew had to be made in order to compete with the best in the world. 

 

“All the stuff I was doing was kind of routine. It was more of ‘Oh I’m just going to go out there, just practice and run and get the results that I got,’ but it wasn’t until I wasn’t getting those results when I realized that I had to work on myself and work on me physically as well as spiritually and mentally,” Gardner said.

 

That work included executing the “little things” as Gardner explained, avoiding staying out with friends, getting the proper amount of sleep and making sure that she took care of her body.

 

“All those little things are something that I had to make sure I was doing because if I wasn’t doing them, I wouldn’t be able to compete with the girl next to me,” Gardner said. 

 

2015 has been a total turn-around for Gardner, starting with a personal best at the Prefontaine Classic in May when she clocked a 10.84. She continued the season with a win at the adidas Grand Prix in New York, which took down Samantha Henry-Robinson, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, and Tianna Bartoletta. 

 

The USATF Outdoor Championship was Gardner’s time to shine as the Oregon Duck alum lit up Hayward Field with a world lead and personal best of 10.79 in the semifinal. She finished second to Torie Bowie in the final and earned her second spot on Team USA. 

 

Her personal best of 10.79 currently stands as the second fastest time run in the world this year, behind defending World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica. 

 

With a semifinal and the final of the World Championships on the schedule for tomorrow, Gardner is poised to make the most of her opportunity. 

 

As for her chances at a podium spot, Gardner is well aware of her mission.  

 

“I’m going to have to break out the beast for sure, dig in those archives and dust out my claws and just run like English Gardner.”