RUNNING STRONG\Upbeat Drummond is No. 1 100-meter man.Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer Like one of the up-tempo gospel songs he loves so well, there is an uplifting air of effervescent ef·fer·vesce intr.v. ef·fer·vesced, ef·fer·vesc·ing, ef·fer·vesc·es 1. To emit small bubbles of gas, as a carbonated or fermenting liquid. 2. To escape from a liquid as bubbles; bubble up. 3. enthusiasm to sprinter Jon Drummond Jonathan A. "Jon" Drummond (born September 9, 1968) is an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jon Drummond is known for being among the world’s best starters. . A broad smile is standard wear for America's No. 1 100-meter man, whether he is on the track or at a concert singing with the highly acclaimed gospel group Kirk Franklin & The Family. "I'm just a happy guy," said Drummond, 27, who will compete in the 50-meter dash at Saturday's L.A. Invitational in·vi·ta·tion·al adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. Track Meet. Drummond's joys are many. And he doesn't mind sharing them. "He's very charismatic," said coach John Smith. "He's the kind of guy who enjoys himself and other people." Drummond said he is elated e·lat·ed adj. Exultantly proud and joyful. e·lat  ed·ly adv.e·lat to be ranked No. 1 in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and No. 4 in the world at 100 meters. "With all the sprinters we have in America, for me to be recognized as the best - wow," Drummond said with typical enthusiasm. "And to be considered No. 4 in the world. . . ." Drummond's ascent to such heights has been gradual. He won national junior college titles in the 100 and 200 at Odessa Community College in Texas in 1987. In 1991, while competing for Texas Christian, he won the 200 at the World University Games. His surge to international prominence began with a fourth-place finish in the 100 at the 1993 U.S. Track and Field Championships, earning him a spot on the U.S. 400-meter relay team that won the gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize and tied the world record (37.40 seconds) at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He has been world-ranked at 100 meters ever since, fifth in 1993, third in 1994 and fourth in 1995. Drummond's music career has seen similar success. The son of a Philadelphia minister, he got involved with a local gospel group while a student at Texas Christian. "Being a pastor's kid, you grow up loving certain things about the church," he said, citing his affinity for music. "It's basically something I grew up with." His group grew to national prominence over the years, and its hit "Why We Sing" was No. 1 on the Billboard gospel chart and won Gospel Song of the Year honors in 1993. "They're one of the top-selling gospel groups in America," said Drummond's manager, Emmanuel Hudson. "Anyone who pays attention at all to gospel music knows who they are." Drummond's athletic career prevents him from making all of the group's concerts. And in this Olympic year, he will concentrate even more heavily on his running. "The ultimate goal is to stand on that podium podium In architecture, a pedestal on a large scale. It may be any of various elements that form the base of a structure, such as the platform forming the floor and substructure of a Classical temple, a low wall supporting columns, or the structurally or decoratively ," said Drummond, who hopes to make the U.S. team in the 100 and 200. "If I run a personal best, I'll be satisfied, but my goal is to be a gold medalist." Drummond's plan for the L.A. Invitational is to work on his start by running the 50. "We're putting together the first part of his race," Smith said. "His main asset is he has extremely good ability to accelerate very early. We don't want to lose that." Saturday's meet will be Drummond's second of the year after being sidelined early by illness and injury. While in Texas to serve as Kirk Franklin's best man, Drummond was hospitalized with what doctors thought was meningitis meningitis (mĕnĭnjī`tĭs) or cerebrospinal meningitis (sĕr'əbrōspī`nəl), acute inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. . But after a single day in bed, he was well again as suddenly as he had become ill. Unfortunately, he missed the wedding. Earlier this month, he hurt his knee while lifting weights but seemed well after just a few weeks. "I believe in divine healing," said the deeply religious Drummond. "And I think I've experienced it twice this year." Drummond dismisses his first meet of the season - a fifth-place finish at 60 meters in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of - as a prelude prelude (prā`l  d), musical composition of no universal style, usually for the keyboard. It was originally used to precede a ceremony and later a second, often larger piece. to what he expects to be
his best season.
"You don't expect great things to happen in the first race of the season," he said. "You're basically just testing the motor." He'll be testing it again Saturday. And he wants meet fans to take a few pages from his philosophy: smile and have fun. Drummond said his effusive ef·fu·sive adj. 1. Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy: an effusive manner. 2. Profuse; overflowing: effusive praise. style is part his nature and part a way to get closer to the fans. "It gives them a sense of being part of the race," he said. "When they know I'm racing, they should come expecting to have a good time." Why not? Drummond certainly is. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo (color) Jon Drummond's singing career has taken off along with his running. Michael Owen
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