From Indiana to Beijing

Nine years ago David Neville was running on the track and field team for Merrillville High School in Merrillville, Ind. with a dream to compete in the 2008 Olympics. In August that dream will come true when Neville heads to Beijing to run for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team.\n“I was overjoyed as I came across the line and put my hands up,” Neville said. \nNeville, who graduated from IU in 2007, finished third in the 400-meter dash final with a career best of 44.61 seconds Thursday at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore., to earn his spot.\nAfter qualifying for the finals in the 400, Neville was placed in lane 8, a difficult spot because of the staggered start. The person in lane 8 starts in front and does not see the rest of the field for most of the race.\n“It was a little nerve-racking but I went out strong and hammered it the last 150 meters,” Neville said. \nNeville was extremely happy his third place finish when he crossed the finish line behind Lashawn Merritt and 2004 gold medalist Jeremy Wariner to qualify for the Olympics. \nNeville’s coach, John Smith, whom he has been working with for about a year, also expressed joy when Neville came across the line. \n“I was happy as hell,” Smith said. “Indeed I was.” \nSmith competed as a sprinter for the UCLA Bruins and later coached the team for 17 years starting in 1984. The coach said he was proud of Neville for making the difficult adjustment from collegiate to professional running.\nNeville chose to forgo his senior season at IU to sign a professional contract with Nike in 2006 after being crowned the Big Ten champion in both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. The IU standout was also a five-time All-American for the Hoosiers. \nIU senior Ryan Smith, who ran with Neville on the 4-by-400-meter relay team that finished fifth in the nation in Smith’s sophomore year, was in disbelief for a while after receiving a text message from a teammate about Neville’s achievement.\n“What ... that’s awesome,” said Smith, after reading the message. \nSmith described Neville as a role model and inspiration for him and said he is very proud of what his former teammate has accomplished since leaving IU.\n“I’m really glad to see he’s gone this far,” Smith said. “I wish him the best of luck in \nthe Olympics.”\nNeville said he feels his time at IU was very well spent and helped him greatly to prepare for his professional career.\n“There was a lot of great training and atmosphere at IU,” he said. \nAnother passion that Smith and Neville shared was a love of music, as both participated in the IU Marching Hundred.\nNeville said each day he went from a full schedule of classes, to marching hundred practice, and then track practice. Neville said his daily routine was difficult, but his determination carried him through it.\nAnother passion of Neville’s is his religion. He led regular prayer’s before races with fellow teammates.\nFormer teammate and senior John Gunnell described him as a very spiritual person and said he attended religious events with him. Gunnell said Neville helped him realize there is more to life than track and field.\n“He helped me understand it’s just track,” Gunnell said.\nGunnell is also happy to see his friend compete in the \nOlympics.\n“It’s very exciting,” he said. “He’s the first person I know personally that’s in the Olympics.”\nBefore heading to Beijing, Neville will race in Europe, something he does not have much experience with, but hopes will help sharpen \nhis skills. \nAs for how well Neville thinks he can do at the Olympics, he said his main goal is to wear the red, white and blue with pride.\n“My goal is to go and represent the U.S. the best way I can,” he said. \nNeville’s coach, Smith, is happy to see his athlete healthy and in top form, and thinks the Hoosier faithful have a lot to be proud of in him. \n“David is a warrior,” he said. “He is a good man, and IU should be very proud of him.”