The RoundHouse | 6/9/2021 10:56:00 AM

 
 
One step means a lot in the hurdles. 
 
For Wichita State's Antonio Norman, eliminating that one step set him on course to compete in the NCAA Championships in the 110-meter hurdles. He is a newcomer to the high hurdles used in the 110-meter event after he ran the 400 hurdles earlier in his career.
 
"He's just developed beautifully and is a remarkably technically sound hurdler," said Steve Rainbolt, director of track and field. "It's his personality. Even-tempered and pleasant. He is just going to maintain a pretty steady approach to how we do things."
 
Norman, a junior from St. Louis, needed that approach to change his hurdling routine. He ran the lower hurdles (42 inches for the 110 meters compared to 36 for the 400) at NCAA Division II Lindenwood (Mo.) University and after transferring to Wichita State for 2019-2020.
 
His height – 6-foot-3 – and speed convinced Rainbolt that Norman could excel at the high hurdles. The first obstacle forced Norman to take seven steps before the first hurdle instead of eight.
 
"You have to make it muscle memory," Norman said. "It's easy now."
 
The change – which helped Norman build his power to get over the first hurdle – took time. Norman started working on it in 2020 and it paid off this outdoor season. He first ran the 110 in late April (13.95 seconds) and stayed under 14 seconds in every race. 
 
"I used to get out short and fast, so I could get to my speed," Norman said. "I had to adjust to seven steps and that made it long, powerful steps, which got to me to the hurdle perfectly. That was the best thing coach could have done."
 
He ran a 13.81-second race to finish third in the American Athletic Conference Championships and a personal-best 13.63 in the NCAA West Preliminary Round to advance to the national meet in Eugene, Ore. Norman runs on Wednesday (8:02 p.m.) on ESPN2. Wichita State's Michael Bryan competes in the hammer throw at 4:30 (ESPN3).
 
"Changing to seven – you've got to change your feet in the blocks, you have to drive more powerfully and get there with one less step," Rainbolt said. "It's a significant change."
 
Many hurdlers, Rainbolt said, can make the change in practice. During the stress of competition, it is easy to default to prior habits. 
 
"So many athletes will go "I'm not going to be able to do this," Rainbolt said. "He was never that way. We would set up in situations in training with guys next to him. We would try to rehearse doing it and pretty soon, it's like second nature."
 
The atmosphere at the West prelims at Texas A&M in late May gave Norman a taste of what is to come in Eugene at Hayward Field.
 
"You can hear the crowd cheering and everything," he said. "More energetic. It hypes me up a whole lot. I've been training my whole life for it."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.