āJean was a soft-spoken and deliberate man. He had a calming presence. He did not push me. What we needed, he said, was to get me back to basics. More than anything, Jean wanted me to rediscover my love of running. He believed I understood my body better than anyone else. If he knew I was on the IAAFās drug regimen, he didnāt let on. We never discussed it. Jean treated me like he treated everyone else in the group.
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āI didnāt do well in the event. I came in fourth and to this day, I donāt know what happened except to say I couldnāt find the zone. I didnāt yet understand that racing wasnāt just about being fast, it was also about strategizing and quieting the mind. I was used to running alone, my only company at times just cows and sheep and goats. I was used to running in South Africa. I couldnāt yet control my nerves. I resolved to learn and never lose again.
āThe way Boss put it, being a clean athlete was everything. He told me not to trust people. To stay humble.
āI knew I wasnāt the same Caster. I was still nursing my injured leg and I was grossly overweight, but all I needed was a chance. The director offered me a three-year scholarship. I would study sports science. Soon after, I met with Jean in person. Even seeing how out of shape I was, he believed in me. Potch was about 180 kilometers away from Pretoria. Violet wasnāt happy about the distance, but I would no longer be sitting.
āI was glad to hear Gregās voice. Throughout the years, heād never given up on me. By then, we were more like daughter and father than lawyer and client. āGreg, my man. Iām good. Iām happy. I just qualified for Beijing. Iām figuring things out but Iām feeling better.ā āWell, I have news that will make you feel even better, Caster,ā Greg said. āThe IAAF lost a case about their hyperandrogenism regulations.
āMichaelās program improved upon whatever Iād built running barefoot and alone on those dusty grounds in Limpopo as a teenager. His philosophy was, āIf it isnāt broke, donāt fix it.ā āWeāll just keep doing what youāve been doing, Caster,ā he would say. He believed in stretching things out, moving along slowly, conditioning, and then when the body was ready, you hit it. He didnāt rush things; he didnāt push until he was absolutely sure. Michael was one of those coaches who didnāt believe in pain; he believed in slow buildups. Mariaās style was hardcore. If the plan for the day was to run 200s in 27s, then that is all we were doing, no matter what. Maria did not rest me well, but she made me a beast, she recreated in me an image of herself. Verster was different from them. Verster believed in gut feelings. Before every session, he would ask me how I felt that day. It was an interesting thing for me. And I could be honest with him. If I said, āI donāt feel like training hard today,ā he would honor that.