August 16, 2004 11:56 am
Hennagan enjoys low profile in women's 400
ATHENS, Greece - The track and field experts are tabbing Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas as the favorite to run off with the women's Olympic 400 meters.
Others point to 2003 world champion Ana Guevara of Mexico to win the one-lap race and give America's southern neighbor its first-ever Olympic running-event gold.
But very few put Monique Hennagan in her event's super-elite category, and that suits her just fine.
The 28-year-old graduate of Spring Valley, S.C., High School and the University of North Carolina, who now lives and trains in Atlanta, doesn't need any extra pressure as she prepares for the first round of the 400, scheduled for Saturday morning. Semis are Sunday, with the final on Aug. 24.All Hennagan will predict is that ``it's going to be very competitive; with any event in the Olympics, you can expect anything. You never know what any athlete is going to bring to the table. It doesn't matter what you did before you got here. Once you are here, anything is possible.''
Williams-Darling, a former University of South Carolina standout, owns the world's top two clockings this year, a 49.15 in Paris on July 23, and a 49.25 in Rome on July 2.
Hennagan is not far behind with her 49.56 winning time at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento.
Russia's Natalya Nazarova stands third on the 2004 list with a best of 49.65, with Guevara next in line at 49.74. The USA's other entries, 19-year-old University of Texas sophomore Sanya Richards (49.89) and University of Tennessee senior Dee Dee Trotter (50.23), rank seventh and 10th.
With solid support from North Carolina grad Crystal Cox, fourth in the Trials at 50.52, the U.S. also has the makings of a powerful 4x400 relay team that hopes to reprise its gold-medal effort from the 2000 Sydney Games.
The 2000 relay gold is a major highlight of Hennagan's career to date, but bowing out in the second round of the 400 in Sydney was a major disappointment.
Back in her high school days at Spring Valley, S.C., she won 12 state titles and found time to be an all-state volleyball player and play varsity basketball, as well. At North Carolina, she won NCAA indoor 400 and outdoor 800 titles, the first ever by a Tar Heel woman. Now, she puts her UNC degree, with majors in psychology and African-American studies, to work as a part-time human resource supervisor for UPS, which back her up by providing a salary and health benefits as part of its Athlete Training Assistance Program.
Switching coaches - from South Carolina's Curtis Frye to former Bahamas Olympic star Pauline Davis-Thompson - has given her a new outlook on her event.
``She's equipping me in a lot of ways I haven't had before,'' said Hennagan. ``I'm not going to say I'm going to run 49 seconds flat. I'm just saying I'm going to run whatever it takes to win.''
While waiting to race, she's enjoying her second Olympic experience to the hilt.
``With all the uproar about Athens not being ready and everything, I was very surprised when I came here,'' she said. ``They (the Greek hosts) are very pleasant. Everything (at the Olympic Village and training facilities) is there that I need to be comfortable.
``Now, it's just up to me.''
ADVERTISEMENT
RECENT HEADLINES
COMMENTARY AND PERSPECTIVE
