Spotlight: Arman Hall builds to domination in 200, 400

Arman Hall will be remembered at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for many years due to his outstanding track feats - including being ranked No. 1 in the world as a junior with a sizzling time of 46.01 seconds for 400 meters.

However, his true legacy probably will be his presence as an outstanding role model and an athlete who always put his team above personal goals. Athletic director George Smith told MaxPreps he will be most remembered by "what kind of a person he is. He always had a smile on his face and is a good person."

Entering his senior year, the 6-foot, 162-pounder had big hopes of breaking the state 400 record of 45.44 held by Xavier Carter of Palm Bay (Melbourne, Fla.). But he tweaked his hamstring in late March and elected not to push too hard so he could save his best efforts for the major spring and summer meets.

His ultimate challenge came during the Class 4A state meet. The Raiders were seeking their fifth-consecutive state team title and they needed every point. Hall approached coach Alex Armenteros and offered a plan.

He explained, "I decided to let go of my own personal goals. I planned not to kill myself in the 400 (he won in a rather slow 47.08) so I would have enough energy to face Marvin (Bracy, the favorite) in the 200. It didn't bother me, because I really wanted to finish my senior year as state champion. My team is my family."

Ironically, Bracy cramped in the 100 and was unable to run the 200, which Hall captured in 21.16.

"It would have been a photo finish - a great race," Hall surmised, if the matchup with Bracy had materialized. "But I have no idea (who would have won)."

However, the fate of the team championship still rested on the 1,600 relay and Hall anchored home a victory to hold off Colonial (Orlando, Fla.). Armenteros called the sacrifice "huge. He could have gotten it (the 400 record), but it would have been putting the team state championship in jeopardy. He took one for the team."

Originally, Hall was a wide receiver and defensive back in football. His track career started at age 9 when Armenteros spotted him and his father, Bobby Hall, shooting baskets on an outdoor court. He felt the youngster had the perfect build for the hurdles and 400 and got him hooked up with the Florida Breeze Track Club.

Hall admitted, "It seemed too hard for me at the time" and he didn't like the hurdles.

"My dad said I had so much talent. I was a little kid and didn't believe it. He always told me that (the 400) was my race. I thought the 100 was my race," he laughed.

He never dominated through his growing years. As a freshman at St. Thomas Aquinas, he placed fifth in the Class 3A 400 with a time of 48.72. His reaction spoke volumes about the kind of athlete he was going to become.

"I was disappointed," he admitted. "My dad said I should be happy, but with my competitive nature I wanted to do better."

His sophomore year he placed second in the Class 4A 400 (47.43) to Northwestern (Miami) junior Hugh Graham. It marked his third loss to Graham that year.

Looking forward to his junior year, Hall related, "I probably had the worst summer of my life. My times got slower and I really don't know what happened to me. Maybe I just wasn't as dedicated. I took everything for granted. From then on I decided to be really focused. I decided to quit football (he had played JV as a sophomore) to see how good I could get in track. Maybe I just wasn't strong enough or ready yet. I didn't feel like losing again."

His junior year was spectacular, indeed. He was so dominant that he acquired the nickname "Mean Machine."

During the first annual Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, he won the 400 in 47.45, which was the nation's fastest indoor time that year.

Hall's performance during the prestigious Bob Hayes Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla., won't soon be forgotten. He won the 400 in a personal-record 46.61. Dedric Dukes of Booker T. Washington (Miami) was second in a photo finish and Graham was third. He also won the 200 in 20.87 for another photo-finish victory over Dukes.

"I beat the two fastest kids in Florida that day," he exclaimed.
Then he won his first state 4A title with a 46.22 clocking in the 400.

In the summer he won his specialty in 46.23 during the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. He tasted his only defeat when he placed third during the trials for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He also placed second in the 200 and that was his ticket to the championships in Lille, France, because only the first two in each event qualified.

Hall received a big break when Aldrich Bailey of Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Tex.), who had won the 400 and 200, elected to run just one of the events. He wound up in the 200 and that opened up the 400 for Hall. The rest is history because Hall won in a blazing 46.01 which also put him on the cover of Track & Field News Magazine.

"I felt so happy," he said of his world championship. "At that time and moment I could not explain (his feelings)." Showing great maturity, he quickly added, "I knew I had to move on and think about next year."

His immediate plan had been to go back out for football following a one-year layoff. George Smith, the legendary former football coach, quickly told him "no."

He explained, "He has such a gift as a track athlete and I didn't feel it would be a service to him. His future and his scholarship situation certainly are in track."

Before he heads to the University of Florida to study sports medicine, Hall has planned an ambitious summer. He will run three events at the Great Southwest Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., then participate in the World Youth Championships in Bloomington, Ind., with a possible trip to the finals in Barcelona, Spain.

His ultimate goal is to some day break world records in the 200 (19.19) and 400 (43.18). His idol, four-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Johnson, holds the 400 record and Jamaican Usain Bolt holds the 200 record.

"I want to try to be another Michael Johnson," he said. "I want to try to double up in the 400 and 200. I have a lot of work to do, but I don't mind."

Armenteros said he is not surprised by his young star's great success.

He related, "Gino (his nickname) always had a great work ethic and motivated himself to win. He knew he was something special. He had the desire to become the best. He always expressed that. He has all the tools. His body mechanics are awesome - almost flawless. He doesn't think anybody is better than him on the track.

"He definitely left a legacy that's going to be tough on a lot of quarter-milers coming through. He has set the bar so high as a leader on and off the field. It's scary, but the best is yet to come. The coach at the University of Florida can sleep well at night knowing he has Gino. I'm not going to predict a time, but I do see Gino in the Olympics."