Olympic Champion Stevie Gardiner Off To Hot Start In 2022

By Todd Grasley of DyeStat

Olympic gold medalist Stevie Gardiner of The Bahamas came into 2022 ready to do it all over again this season.

The 400-meter champion is building on his success in Tokyo. After what coach Gary Evans calls a “strong fall base,” Gardiner and his training group hit the track two weeks ago in Orlando, Fla., with some light 300s at 39-second pace Monday and six 200s at 30-second pace on grass Tuesday.

Then, the group departed Wednesday for Columbia, S.C. and Gardiner picked up right where he left off.

Gardiner ran the fastest 300 meters of all-time indoors, a blistering 31.56 seconds at the South Carolina Invitational, smashing a world best Noah Lyles previously owned with his 31.87 time from 2017. Two weeks prior, Gardiner set a Bahamian national record of 32.06 on the same track.

"Every year we open up indoor with the 300 to get things started,” Gardiner said. “Opening up with a PB had put me in a good mental place where I was right where I needed to be in training.”

Going into the meet, Gardiner and Evans made a few adjustments to his race plan.

“Indoor isn’t my favorite, but I’m learning and getting the hang of it,” Gardiner said. “Seeing that time when I crossed the finish line was unbelievable because I felt so relaxed while competing. I wasn't sure I did it, until I saw the time.”

Despite his success on the indoor oval, Gardiner will turn his attention to outdoor track and begin preparing for the World Championships this summer at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

“Outdoors would be my main focus,” he noted. “My goals for the season are to go to the World Championships and win or be on the podium with a new personal best.”

Gardiner's natural talent has further elevated by a diligent and studied approach to the sport. 

“He listens and trusts the process,” Evans said. 

Gardiner ran 43.85 seconds in Tokyo to win the gold medal in the 400 meters and owns a lifetime-best 43.48 from 2019, making him the eighth-fastest man in history.