Merritt, Wariner ready to rumble

BEIJING – LaShawn Merritt made a big to-do about staying on the track and watching Jeremy Wariner’s first-round heat a couple of days ago.

Wariner displayed no such interest in his rival.

He blew off Merritt’s 400-meter semifinal Tuesday, sending his message by not bothering to watch. The kid obviously wants to remind Merritt he is the challenger and Wariner the defending gold medalist. This is his event, unless proven otherwise.

“I’m ready to go,” Wariner said. “I got my spot. Now it’s show time.”

Obviously so. Even Merritt sounds trash talked out.

About the closest he came to his usual brashness was saying he wants to beat Wariner. Not his best work. He’s done way better and usually when the subject is Wariner.

He has become a recent and recurring pain in Wariner’s butt, beating him at trials in Oregon, talking about dethroning him incessantly and finishing just a hair faster than him on Tuesday.

Neither looked particularly taxed doing so, hinting again that this is a two-man affair.

Wariner went 44.15 and, two heats later, Merritt bested that by .03. Total coincidence, he insisted. He just wanted to set himself up for Thursday’s final in which Merritt does not sound too invested in a 1-2 U.S. finish.

“He’s an American but, at the end of the day, I’m my own man,” Merritt said. “So I am going to go out there and try to win.”

It is not quite fair to say they do not like each other. But this is not likely to be one of those races where they hug at the end. They both are dying to beat the other.

Merritt to establish himself as No. 1. Wariner to shut Merritt up.

The rivalry is one of the bright spots for USA Track and Field at this moment. And there are not many, what with Sanya Richards settling for bronze and the 1,500 flameout and Lolo Jones’ stumble.

And while hardly Ali-Frazier, this is what qualifies as Must-See TV for track. Everybody wants to know who is going to win: The quiet champ or his spitfire challenger?

“If I win and he gets the silver, that is great,” Merritt said. “I’m going to leave it in God’s hands and try to run the fastest 400 that I’ve ever run.”

And what if Wariner wins?

What if Merritt has to settle for silver?

“I’m going to congratulate him and move on,” he said.

You kind of had to be there but just the way he answered the question seemed to say “Hey crazy lady, why are you asking me this? Not going to happen.”

He admitted as much a couple of seconds later.

“No,” was his blunt response when asked if he believed that to be a possibility.