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Xavier Carter, one of last season's biggest breakthrough international stars, will be part of a U.S. quartet aiming for the world indoor record in the 4x400 meter relay on February 9 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Carter, 21, stormed to the center of the track world last summer when he clocked 19.62 to become the second fastest man ever over 200 meters. His performance in Lausanne came just a month after he became the first man since Jesse Owens to win four events at an NCAA Championships, including an unprecendented 100/400 double.
In Fayetteville, Carter, also known as "The X-Man," is expected to team up with Andrew Rock, Wallace Spearmon, Jr., and LaShawn Merritt in an assault on the 3:02.83 world indoor record set by Andre Morris, Dameon Johnson, Deon Minor And Milton Campbell at the 1997 World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan. At last year's meet, the American squad of Kerron Clement, Spearmon, Darold Williamson and Jeremy Wariner dipped under the 1997 record, clocking 3:01.96, but their performance was not ratified as a world record since doping tests were not conducted.
Carter has a career best of 44.53 in the 400 outdoors, and 45.28 indoors. Merritt, whose participation in the relay is yet to be confirmed, is also scheduled to contest the 400 at the competition. At the 2005 edition, Merritt clocked 44.93, currently the fourth fastest performance ever and a world junior record. Outdoors last summer, the 20-year-old improved to 44.14, and ran a leg on both the victorious 4x400 relay squads at the World Indoor Championships and the season-capping IAAF World Cup.
The Tyson Invitational is the third stop of USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series.
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