updated 5:35 p.m. ET April 21, 2004

DES MOINES, Iowa - Joey Woody is headed for a track meet where he knows he’ll be cheered and probably win.

If only he could be as certain when he runs three months from now.

Woody will run the 400-meter hurdles at the Drake Relays on Saturday, a key step in his bid to make the U.S. Olympic team, something he missed by 0.37 seconds in 2000.

Though he won’t concede this is his last chance to qualify for the Summer Games, Woody still understands that at his age — he’ll be 31 on May 22 — he’s running out of opportunities.

“Obviously there is a little bit of urgency,” said Woody, who grew up in Iowa City. “But as long as I focus on doing the things I need to do, I know I’m going to put out there the best that I can do on that given day.”

“If I do that, that’s all I can focus on. I can’t worry so much about whether I make the team or not.”

Woody has been among the nation’s best at the 400 hurdles for years. He was the 1997 NCAA champion at Northern Iowa and regularly finishes among the top three at the U.S. championships, yet he has never made the Olympic team. He finished seventh at the 1996 trials and fourth in 2000.

Now, though, Woody is feeling better than ever about his chances at this year’s trials in July. He was the silver medalist at the world championships last year, he’s healthy and he’s the No. 1-ranked U.S. runner.

“There’s always great 400 hurdlers,” Woody said from Los Angeles, where he trains under Hall of Fame coach Jim Bush. “Especially in an Olympic year, everybody kind of comes out of the woods. You never know who you’re going to go up against.”

His confidence has been helped by working under Bush. Woody turned to the former UCLA coach after a disappointing 2001 season in which he failed to break 49 seconds.

“I knew I had to make a change in my training,” Woody said. “I probably come out here every four to six weeks. It just helps take me to the next level. I’ve had very good success with it.”

At the worlds last year, Woody lost to the Dominican Republic’s Felix Sanchez, who beat the American by almost a full second. It would have been worse if Woody had not kept his composure.

“He was in my inside lane, and he passed me by the second hurdle. I knew he’d pass me, but I wasn’t expecting him to pass me that fast,” Woody said, chuckling at the memory.

Woody began his season with a second-place finish at the Mount SAC Relays on Sunday, where Britain’s Chris Rawlinson won in 48.93 seconds. Woody ran 49.11.

At Drake, Woody will go for his fifth victory in the invitational 400 hurdles. A crowd favorite, Woody carried his 11-month-old son, named Drake, on his victory lap after winning last year.

“Whenever I step on that blue oval, there’s always a little bit of pressure there,” Woody said. “But it’s amazing how much adrenaline rush there is, especially after the announcement of every lane assignment.

“When they get to me, the crowd usually goes pretty crazy. They just lift me up and I’m kind of floating on water when I’m around that track.”

Woody hopes to be crossing some water later this summer — on his way to Athens.

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