BEIJING (AP) – No matter how many hurdles Aries Merritt clears this week at the world championships, he knows there’s an even bigger one waiting for him in a few days back at home – a kidney transplant.
That’s why the Olympic 110-meter hurdles champion and world-record holder is treating each race this week as if it might be his last. With his kidney function less than 20 percent, Merritt will have surgery on Sept. 1 – three days after the final in his event. His sister, LaToya Hubbard, is donating one of her kidneys.
Through all of this, Merritt is trying to keep his focus on the obstacles in his lane, not the pending one. So far, he’s off to a fast start, winning his heat Wednesday and turning in the second-best time, just .10 seconds behind teammate David Oliver.
“It’s very scary. It’s a surgery,” Merritt said. “In actuality, this could potentially be my last time competing, if things don’t go smoothly. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking of that.
“For right now, though, I’m thinking about the championships. One race at a time.”