Humble man in the fast lane

Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sport

Looking at him, and talking to him, you cannot immediately tell that this is the fastest American man ever with a best of 9.69 seconds for 100 metres.

The person closest to him now, apart from his coach Lance Brauman, sums it up well. Gay's 39-year-old personal trainer, Michael Stroh, the man charged with helping him back to full fitness, following a hamstring strain, describes the 2007 World 100 and 200 metres champion as a "humble, normal person".

"Sometimes you forget he is a sporting star," said Stroh, who added that, for him, it was a dream come true to be working so closely with a top-level athlete.

In addition to his main job of keeping Gay's muscles relaxed, Stroh now plays a big part in what he eats, as the sprinter is convinced that his many niggling injuries over the past nine years is partially due to him not eating right.

For all his humility, Gay is not shy on the track. When he enters the arena, he is there to give 100 per cent. His goal is to break the world 100 metres record of 9.58 seconds, now held by Jamaica's Usain Bolt.

Right now, however, Gay is not jealous of the achievements of Bolt or the fact that much of the limelight is not on him.

"That's just the way it is. He (Bolt) deserves it," he said.

The bright lights, clubs, movies are not for Gay, who has a nine-year-old daughter, Tiffany.

His typical day may seem boring to some, but for him it's normal.

"I am up at about 6:45 a.m. and I am at the weight room between 7 a.m and 7:30. I lift weights for an hour with my personal trainer Michael (Stroh).

"After that, I come home, I have an hour to eat. Mike will have my breakfast ready and after that, I try to get hydrated. I then play video games before practice, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Practice goes on until early afternoon. After practice, I come home, get rubbed down, play video games, relax, have a nap, watch TV, before having dinner."

Gay admits to having an interest in other sports, including baseball, basketball, National Football League (NFL) and World Cup soccer, as the Americans call it.

"I do not have a favourite team in the World Cup but I watch it. I like it."

As a laid-back person, Gay does not take strong stands on many subjects. However, he had something to say about the new false-start rule and drugs in his sport.

He branded the start rule, where an athlete is disqualified after one false start, as "ridiculous".

"We need to go back to the old rule. This new rule does not make sense, as it is taking away from the sport," said the man who is also the second-fastest American ever over 200 metres with a best of 19.58, set on May 30 last year in New York.

"People do not understand the pressure athletes are under. Things happen ... . There are different blocks, different people holding the gun," Gay said. The new false-start rule came into effect in January this year.

Positive test

On drugs, Gay's current views are being tempered by a current two-year ban on his friend, Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt, who tested positive for a banned steroid at the beginning of the year.

"I have a friend who is going through a ban right now. I have to look at it from his point of view. He made a mistake. A life ban may be a little tough."

But Gay contended that it was a different matter for those who deliberately took drugs to enhance their performances.

"It's a decision you chose, so you have to deal with the consequences," he said.

Gay is looking forward to being back on the track at the Prefontaine Classic, a Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon, on July 3. He will run his favourite event, the 200 metres.

The American, who is managed by Global Athletics and Marketing, has no problems with the Diamond League, which is seeking to have as many head-to-head battles as possible with the best in the world in the top events as he wants to have a real rivalry with Bolt, the man who is the best in the world.

"I hope so (rivalry with Bolt), that's the plan but in order for you to have a rivalry you must have some wins," said Gay, who was beaten by Bolt in the men's 100m final last year at the Berlin World Championships.

Gay's agent, Mark Wetmore, admits that it will take some time to sell the Diamond League to the world.

"...(We) have to move the sport beyond a few guys. Athletes are not going to run if they are not ready," he said.

Gay and those around him are still trying to lift the profile of track and field in the United States.

"I normally get recognised (in America) by people who know sport," he said, but admits that he is more recognisable in Europe than the United States.

"It will be tough to get the sport (track and field) more popular in the United States. Same with soccer, or football, as you call it. These sports - baseball, basketball and NFL - American football - have been going on for many years."

Track and field in the United States, Gay said, is also lagging behind other sports like tennis and golf.

Note: Elton Tucker was a member of an IAAF-organised team of journalists who visited Tyson Gay at his training base in Clermont, Florida, recently. The visit was another chapter in the IAAF series which looks at the day in the life of one of the world's top athletes.