Jeremy Wariner

Jeremy Matthew Wariner, born on January 31, 1984, is an American retired track athlete who specialized in the 400 meters. He is known for his amazing achievements in the Olympics and World Championships. Wariner won four Olympic medals, including three gold and one silver, and also earned six medals in the World Championships.

Wariner was born in Irving, Texas, and became a successful college athlete at Baylor University. At the Athens 2004 Olympics, he won gold medals in both the 400 meters and the 4 × 400 m relay. He continued to shine, winning two gold medals at the 2005 World Championships and remaining undefeated in the 400 meters during the 2006 ÅF Golden League, which earned him a big cash prize.

In the 2007 Osaka World Championships, Wariner won gold medals again in both the 400 meters and the relay. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won a gold medal in the relay but took silver in the 400 meters, finishing behind his countryman LaShawn Merritt. He also won a silver medal in the 2009 World Championships, again finishing second to Merritt.

Early career

Jeremy Wariner went to Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas. He was very fast and good at running. His coach, Mike Nelson, helped him become the 2002 Texas state champion in both the 200 meters and 400 meters. Later, he went to Baylor University where another coach, Clyde Hart, helped him improve. Wariner won big college races and became ready for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

At the Olympics, Wariner won two gold medals. He got one for running the 400 meters really fast, and another as part of the U.S. team in the 4 × 400 m relay. After the Olympics, he turned professional but kept training with Clyde Hart.

Professional career

Wariner won the 400 m race at the 2005 USATF championship with a time of 44.20 seconds. Later that year, he won the 400 m at the Helsinki World Championships in 43.93 seconds and helped the American team win gold in the 4 × 400 m relay.

In 2006, Wariner ran the 200 m in 20.19 seconds and improved his 400 m personal best to 43.62 seconds at the Golden Gala Meet in Rome. He won six Golden League events that year, earning $250,000. In 2007, he won the 400 m at the Osaka World Championships with a time of 43.45 seconds, making him one of the fastest runners ever in that event.

In 2008, Wariner competed in the USATF championship and secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. At the 2008 Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 400 m. Later, he won a silver medal in the 400 m and a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2009 World Championships.

Wariner made his third Olympic team in 2012 as part of the 4 × 400 m relay squad but had to pull out due to an injury. He returned to win the National Championship in 2013 but did not advance at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He tried to qualify for the 2016 Olympics but was unable to finish his race.

In 2014, Wariner was inducted into the Baylor Bears Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame.

Personal bests

Personal life

Jeremy Wariner married attorney Sarah Nichols, now known as Sarah Wariner, in 2011. They have three children named Isabella, Lincoln, and Elijah. Until 2020, they owned a Jimmy John's restaurant in Dallas, Texas, where Jeremy also worked as the general manager.

Wariner was once the head track coach at Parish Episcopal School in Dallas. In July 2023, he joined Liberty Christian School (Argyle, Texas) as their head track and cross country coach and also took on the role of sports information and media coordinator.

In the summer of 2018, Wariner played flag football for a team called Godspeed, made up mostly of former professional American football players. The team won against other professional teams but lost the final match to an amateur champion team.

His maternal great-great-great-grandmother was Cherokee.

Rankings

Jeremy Wariner was considered one of the best 400-meter runners in the United States and the world from 2004 to 2013, based on votes from experts at Track and Field News.