From TrackNation Magazine - Bahamas' Demetrius Pinder Owns the Fast Track

From the latest TrackNation magazine, which can be found at (issue6.tracknation.com). 

For Demetrius Pinder, the rise to the top of the track world and fall from grace was swift and sudden. But with a new training partner, and a renewed sense of urgency, the Bahamian 400-meter sensation should be ready to contend for a pair of medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At 25, Pinder's best days may be coming
in the not too distant future

If Pinder makes it to the podium in Brazil, it won’t be his first trip. Just two summers ago, in London, he teamed with Chris Brown, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller to shock a favored American squad in the 4x400 relay, and win the coveted Olympic gold. Their time of 2:56.72 was almost unheard of, considering the best one-lap times for each individual runner.

Winning a gold medal at the age of 23 turned into a blessing and a curse for Pinder. With his newfound fame came new contacts. Through the power of social media, he found one of the demigods of his event, the 400-meters, two-time Olympic champion Lashawn Merritt.

“He invited me to come out and train with them,” recalls Pinder, who accepted the offer and made the trip to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Pinder was not new to the States, having starred at Texas A&M while majoring in liberal arts and theater at College Station.  At A&M, he broke the Bahamas national indoor 400 record, held by Brown, with a 45.33 winning time at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships.

He was also accustomed to success on the world stage, having placed second in the 400 at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Training with Merritt during the summer of 2013, under Coach Loren Seagrave, Pinder’s confidence grew quickly. Although his best time of 44.77 in the 400 was a second slower than his new training partner, the pair matched up well in workouts, a point noted as other athletes left the group.

The excited Bahamian quartet after shocking the world to
capture Olympic gold in the 4x400 relay

“We started out with a few guys early in the season,” says Pinder. “But after a while, it was just us.” With a home meet in the Bahamas on tap for later that summer, and with Merritt in the field, the stage was set for a major 400 win.

“I was feeling good, at home, with some good people in the race. At practice, I had the same foot speed as him (Merritt) and I was ready for a good time drop. In my mind, I thought – anything can happen.”

As the gun went off in his hometown of Freeport, Pinder took off. From Lane 4, it didn’t take long to make up the stagger to Merritt in Lane 5. But there was a problem.

To read the rest of this article, please go to page 27 at issue6.tracknation.com.