Читать книгу Indiana University Olympians. From Leroy Samse to Lilly King онлайн

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Merritt (44.35), Angelo Taylor (43.70), Neville (44.16), and Wariner (43.18) combined for a time of 3:55.39, breaking the Olympic record and beating silver medalist Bahamas by almost three seconds. The previous Olympic record was 2:55.74 by the United States in 1992.

“I was just soaking it in, and I was saying, ‘Do what you’ve got to do. Bring it home,’” Neville said. “To have a gold is great, but it’s even sweeter to have an Olympic record.”

He became the fourth gold medalist out of IU in the 4×400 relay. Others were Ivan Fuqua in 1932, Roy Cochran in 1948, and Sunder Nix in 1984.

Neville, at twenty-four, was young enough to have tried for one and perhaps two more Olympics. He never again ran as fast as he did in 2008, and only in 2009 did he reach another national final (he finished fifth). Because of recurring Achilles injuries, he retired soon after finishing last in a first-round heat at the 2012 Olympic Trials. Track was never his primary mission anyway.

He was once a minster at the Merrillville Unity AME Zion Church, which had been founded by his father. In California, he led youth ministry at Santa Clarita Christian Fellowship Church. In May 2014, he returned to his home state as head track and field coach for Taylor University, a small Christian college in Upland, Indiana. He left Taylor in 2017 to become an assistant coach at Tennessee.