Surprise in the 400

EUGENE, Ore. -- Jeremy Wariner won gold medals at the last Olympics and the last two world championships. That must have led Wariner to figure he was invincible enough in the 400 meters to dump his longtime coach, Clyde Hart, before this season to save money and lose nothing in the deal.

It clearly was a miscalculation.

Wariner, virtually unbeatable the previous four years, now has lost two straight races to LaShawn Merritt, silver medalist at the 2007 worlds.

The second was a stunning defeat Thursday night in the 400-meter final at the U.S. Olympic trials.

A few minutes earlier, Sanya Richards, whom Hart coaches, regained the aura of invincibility in the 400 she had lost to illness and injury a year ago. Richards won easily, her time of 49.89 seconds nearly a second ahead of runner-up Mary Wineberg.

Merritt used his superior 200-meter speed to pull ahead of Wariner from the gun and never gave ground, finishing in 44.0 to Wariner's 44.2.

"This is the first time Jeremy has met up with someone who has that kind of speed," Richards said. "It is going to be always tough for Jeremy. But Jeremy is so poised in the 400, I think this will make him stronger."

Wariner showed a decided lack of poise by shunning a victory lap, blowing past media waiting for him in the mixed zone interview area and skipping the formal post-race press conference. He later was convinced to answer some questions.

"The coaching change had nothing to do with it," Wariner said. "That was in February."

It was Wariner's first loss in any national or international championship since 2003.

"It will never hit my confidence," Wariner said defiantly. "I talked to Michael [Johnson, the Olympic champion who is Wariner's manager], and he said, 'Don't worry about it. The big stage is the Olympics.' "

Merritt, 22, second at the 2006 and 2007 national meets, expressed no extra satisfaction in beating Wariner but agreed his speed was a key factor. Wariner usually is a strong closer.

"That's a part of the 400 that I have maybe one of the best in the world," he said. "I put that into play over 400 meters and distribute my speed all the way around. For me, it wasn't as much about beating him as winning the U.S. title."

By the start of last season, Richards was the poster woman for USA Track & Field, her picture on the front cover of its 2007 media guide and both back and front covers of the 2007 national meet program.