Smith ready to shine on world stage

The Southeast runner is scheduled to compete as part of a U.S. relay team on Saturday.

Southeast Missouri State coach Joey Haines believes Miles Smith is set for a strong performance at the IAAF World Championships in track and field.

Smith, about to enter his junior year at Southeast, will compete Saturday on the United States' 1,600-meter relay team during the preliminary round in Helsinki, Finland.

"Miles has had great workouts the past few days and he is definitely ready," said Haines, who accompanied Smith to the World Championships, in a release issued by the university. "He was stiff and sore after the long flight [on July 31], but we've been here a while now and he is excited and ready to go."

Haines said more than 40,000 fans have packed Olympic Stadium for each session of the World Championships, which has created an exciting environment.

"It's a great environment, with sellout crowds for nearly every session," said Haines, who doesn't yet know what leg of the relay Smith will run.

Team USA has been impressive during the meet, and Smith hopes to do his part in helping the favored 1,600 relay team capture a gold medal. He is not likely to run in Sunday's finals, but Haines said that could change with a strong performance during Saturday's preliminaries, set for 11:20 a.m. CDT.

"Whether Miles runs in the finals or not, he'll receive a gold medal if the USA wins," Haines said. "Miles has attended most of the sessions and has really enjoyed watching the top performers in the world go for the gold medals. Now, he is ready to take his place on the track. It will be a great moment for him and for Southeast Missouri State."

Smith finished sixth in the 400-meters at the USA Track and Field Championships to make the team for the World Championships. He was also an NCAA Division All-American this year.