South Hampton Roads' Top 50 Athletes: LaShawn Merritt

Hometown: Portsmouth

Sport: Track

Rank: 8 (ahead of Thompson Mann and behind Ricky Rudd)

Born: 1986

Claim to fame: 2008 Olympic gold medalist, 400 meters and 1,600-meter relay

Jeremy Wariner looked unbeatable, until Merritt beat him in June in Berlin and again in July at the U.S. Olympic Trials before he blew him away in August at the Beijing Games to win gold in the 400. Few were calling it an upset anymore. Merritt, from Wilson High, had chased Wariner for years. Now, the question is whether Wariner, who dominated the event, can hang with Merritt. At 22, Merritt is the fifth-fastest 400 runner in history, with a personal best of 43.75. His margin of victory of .99 seconds was the largest in an Olympic 400 final since 1896. He was just four years out of high school when he struck gold. Merritt won state titles in the 100, 200 and 400 as a senior, then took three golds at the World Junior Championships. He enrolled at East Carolina to stay close to home and stunned the track world by clocking what then was the second-fastest indoor 400 in history (44.93) in February 2005. It's still the fastest by an athlete younger than 19. He turned pro shortly after.