With Olympic gold, LaShawn fulfills his promise

Portsmouth Mayor James W. Holley was at home Thursday morning when he learned that LaShawn Merritt had won Olympic gold in the 400 meters in Beijing.

"We're going to have a celebration," Holley said when he was told that Merritt had beaten defending champion Jeremy Wariner by almost a full second. "I'm going to City Hall now and get the committee together. We'll get a parade and we'll get the business community wrapped up in it."

A parade along High Street, allowing Merritt an opportunity to show off his Olympic spoils and wave to people lining the sidewalks, would be a perfect conclusion to a golden summer for the 22-year-old Portsmouth native.

"He really represented us well," Holley said.

Portsmouth can claim the strongest bond to Merritt, while Suffolk, where he now lives, enjoys a loose connection, too. As does Old Dominion University, where he has taken classes in sports management.

Everybody will want a piece of LaShawn Merritt - and I mean that in the nicest way.

But Merritt also belongs to the world, now more than ever. On the biggest international stage available to a sprinter, he produced his fastest 400 to beat out the man considered to be the best.

The Wilson High grad will tour the world as a marquee attraction - perhaps wearing a pair of Nike gold shoes - competing in meets around the globe for lucrative fees, a professional in the best sense of the word.

From what we know of him, though, it's unlikely that Merritt will forget his roots. On his way to gold, he was never shy about reminding people that he's a Virginian.

With the victory, Merritt becomes only the second South Hampton Roads native to win individual Olympic gold, the other being Pernell "Sweetpea" Whitaker, who claimed boxing gold in 1984.

Recalling the sendoff celebration Portsmouth held for Merritt, Holley said, "He told me, 'I will do my best; I promise you that.' "

Outrunning the better-known Wariner before a global audience, Merritt picked the perfect moment to do his best and fastest. That's what the world's greatest champions all have in common - perfect timing.

The biggest headlines belong to Merritt, but Thursday was also a day for savoring the accomplishments of another South Hampton Roads native who has always carried herself with class.

Angela Hucles, who grew up in Virginia Beach and attended Norfolk Academy and the University of Virginia, led the U.S. soccer team in goals during the Olympics, and though she didn't score against Brazil in the gold medal game, she was on the field in stifling Beijing humidity for the entire 120 minutes as the U.S. prevailed 1-0 in overtime.

In the game's 86th minute, Hucles launched a shot from about 20 yards out that forced the Brazil keeper to make a sprawling, fingertip save. Hucles came within a couple inches of connecting on what probably would have been the winning goal.

In extra time, Carli Lloyd's left-footed laser sent the U.S. on to victory, and those of us who know Hucles got to celebrate a second time when TV replays showed her happy, glowing face among the American players congratulating their teammate.

In Beijing, Hucles continued to be a revelation. At 33, she was enjoying her finest year under coach Pia Sundhage when Abby Wambach, the team's top scorer, broke her leg on the eve of the Summer Games. Hucles was slated to be the 12th woman, but after being inserted into Wambach's spot, she thrived in her new role.

"Angela Hucles is a fantastic story," Sundhage said after her fill-in striker scored a pair of goals in a 4-2 U.S. victory over Japan. "She has been one of the most important players in the team."

If this is her final Olympics, and depending on her World Cup ambitions in three years, Hucles can wrap up her international career with a big, bright bow, satisfied that she saved her best for last.

Merritt is now the world's best at the 400, with potential that burns brighter than the Olympic flame and should scorch a path to the London Games in 2012.

Having local athletes figure so prominently in the Olympic gold rush helps bring the event a little closer to home for a lot of us.

Community celebrations are welcome and important, but the pride of South Hampton Roads has already been on parade in Beijing.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com