Smith faces another golden chance

When Miles Smith placed sixth in the 400 meters at the 2005 U.S. Track and Field Championships, he could have started making big money in the sport.

Smith's performance earned him a berth on the U.S. team for the 2005 World Championships in Finland, and he won a gold medal as a member of the victorious 1,600 relay squad.

Smith had just completed his sophomore season at Southeast Missouri State and had two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

But Southeast coach Joey Haines said there were agents ready to sign Smith, who could have received a lucrative contract from a shoe/apparel company and then would have been able to make considerable money on the European professional circuit.

"Miles could have probably signed for about $200,000 a year just with a company to wear their stuff, in addition to what he could have made in Europe," Haines, said.

But Smith said he felt a sense of loyalty to Haines, who saw much more potential in Smith than any other college coach when Smith was a lightly regarded high school runner in St. Louis.

"Coach Haines came to me and gave me an opportunity. I wanted to stick with him. And I wanted to graduate" said Smith, who has earned a degree in mass communications.

A lingering hamstring injury that has bothered Smith for much of the past few years has prevented him from reaching or surpassing the lofty heights he attained in 2005.

The ailment has also reduced Smith's stock in professional circles.

But, as Smith gears up for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. — he'll run the opening round of the 400 meters Sunday — he said he has no regrets.

"Sometimes I wonder what if," said Smith of perhaps turning pro in 2005. "But I don't have any regrets. I'm glad I stayed [in college] because once track is over, I'll still have that piece of paper."

And, despite the hamstring troubles, Haines said Smith is still going to earn a nice living in his sport for at least several years.

Smith recently signed with an agent, who eventually will negotiate a contract with a shoe/apparel company. After the Olympic Trials, Smith will be off to compete in some European meets that could boost his pro stock.

"How I do the next few weeks is important for what kind of contract I'll get," Smith said.

While Smith likely won't make as much as he could have following his breakout 2005 campaign — barring a major performance at the Olympic Trials — Haines said Smith won't be hurting financially.

"Miles will do well," Haines said. "His upside is off the charts, and he's got such a great personality, which is also important. He's very marketable."

Smith said he is looking forward to making a living through his sport, but does not plan on competing simply for the money.

"Everybody looks forward to making money, but I'm still in it for the sport," Smith said. "Once it's just for the money, I'll get out of it."

Smith has never approached his career-best time of 45.16 seconds that earned him fifth place at the 2005 NCAA outdoor championships and led to his ranking among the world's better 400-meter runners.

Still, Smith wound up capturing five All-American awards while competing for Southeast, including a sixth-place finish at this year's NCAA outdoor meet as he finished his college career with a bang despite barely training the past several months due to the hamstring problem.

"He was just running on heart," said Haines, who is retiring as Southeast's coach but will continue to serve as Smith's coach in the Olympic Trials.

Smith's season-best time is 45.67 seconds, which was recorded early in the outdoor campaign. That ranks 23rd among the 28 competitors at the Olympic Trials, where the semifinals will be Monday and the finals Thursday.

While the top three finishers will earn berths in the open 400 for the Beijing Olympics in August, Haines said at least three more — and possibly five more — will be selected to compete in the 1,600 relay.

Haines has no doubt that, if Smith had not been set back by his balky hamstring the past few years, he would rank among the favorites for an Olympic berth.

"It's a shame we had the injury setback. Everything would have been perfect for the 2008 Olympics," Haines said. "If he had stayed healthy, there's no doubt he would have made it. But a lot of coaches say that."

While Haines said he long ago stopped putting anything past Smith, he acknowledges that because Smith has lost so much training time to the ailment, he now ranks as a significant underdog.

The top American time this year is 43.45 seconds by 2004 Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner. LaShawn Merritt is next at 43.96 seconds, while five other Americans have broken 45 seconds and seven more have run under 45.30 seconds.

Smith's best time from 2005 of 45.16 seconds would rank 12th this year. With normal improvement and added physical maturity, it's easy to see why Haines believes Smith would be right near the top had he not been banged up the past few seasons.

But Smith said he right now feels better physically than he has in quite some time, and Haines said Smith's recent workouts have been impressive, which gives both hope that Smith will make a strong run at an Olympic berth.

"It's the best I've felt in a while, this year for sure," Smith said. "I still have some tightness, some knots, but for the most part I'm fine.

"I think I'm ready. I know I can make the finals [consisting of eight runners] and surprise some people. Once you make the finals, anything can happen."

Said Haines: "The last two weeks, Miles has had some great workouts. He's ready to run fast at the trials. We're confident he can make the finals and have a legitimate chance to make the U.S. [Olympic] team."

Even if Smith doesn't earn an Olympic berth this year, he and Haines believe Smith would be primed for a strong run in 2012.

"Miles would be at his peak then," Haines said. "Hopefully he can make a lot of money by then."

The outgoing, engaging Smith believes he realistically can have a productive professional career of about 10 years, after which he said he might try to get into sports broadcasting.

Haines has no doubt the 23-year-old Smith will succeed regardless of what happens at the Olympic Trials, or during the remainder of Smith's athletic career — or during the rest of his life, for that matter.

"Miles is a great young man who has been a tremendous ambassador for the university, our track program, the community," Haines said. "Miles is going to do well in whatever he chooses."

Noteworthy

• The first round of the 400 meters is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. CST Sunday. NBC will televise highlights of that day's action from 6 to 7 p.m.

The semifinals of the 400 will be at 9:25 p.m. Monday, with the finals at 10:15 p.m. Thursday. USA will televise both days from 10 p.m. to midnight.