By JIM VERTUNO -- Associated Press
 WACO, Texas -- Before every big race Michael Johnson runs, a thin, bespectacled man circles the track, walking about as fast as he can.

 As Johnson leaves the starting block, Clyde Hart's stomach churns.

 "He gets more nervous than I do," Johnson says of his longtime coach.

 It's been that way since Hart first recruited Johnson to Baylor University in 1987. The knots twist and turn in Hart's stomach until Johnson crosses the finish line.

 When Johnson defends his Olympic gold in the 400 meters next month in Australia, Hart will be there, pacing again, screaming internally for the seconds to tick off the clock until the race starts.

 "I'm on the massage table and he's out there pacing the track at world record speed," Johnson says.

 Hart can't help it.

 "I can't sit very still," says Hart, 66. "I have to burn off some energy. I'm just eager for the action."

 Their long-standing relationship almost never started. Back in 1987, Hart and every other major track program was recruiting a more heralded high school sprinter, Derrick Florence. Johnson was No. 2 on his wish list.

 When Florence opted for Texas A&M, Hart turned to Johnson, who was a long way from showing signs of a world record holder.

 "We knew he was fast," Hart said. "He never ran the anchor leg in the relays, but his team was always ahead when he passed the baton. Michael, however, was not an overnight success."

 But he did get faster. Hart's dedication to detail and his demands of commitment from his runners laid the foundation for Johnson's success. It turned a good high-school 200 meters runner into one of the best long sprinters in history.

 "We used to tease Hart years ago, called him 'The Little General', because he had everyone lined up like he was running an army," said Texas A&M coach Ted Nelson. "Those early years probably have a lot of value to Michael even now."

 In Johnson's first collegiate race, he finished second to Texas A&M's Floyd Heard, the NCAA outdoor champion who also will be running Sydney. Told he had lost to the top-ranked sprinter in the world in that event, Johnson was puzzled.

 "I had to teach him about the rankings and what it meant to be No. 1 in the world," Hart said. "Until that point, I don't think he knew you could make a living in track and field."

 That first season at Baylor was the start of a long and productive relationship between sprinter and coach. Despite several injuries during his college career, Johnson won two indoor and one outdoor NCAA title in the 200 meters and won the national indoor championship in the 4x400 relay.

 Johnson's rigid, upright running style has been criticized. But with Hart helping him break down races into stages and pushing him through pulsating workouts, Johnson flourished.

 Hart said he never considered changing Johnson's style. He compares it to the form of Olympic hero Jesse Owens.

 "Watching Michael run, his foot placement is perfect on the track," Hart said. "Michael is a contrast to a lot of runners we've seen in recent years, the long leggy guys like Carl Lewis. You go back to look at Jesse Owens, they are almost identical. They are almost the same style, upright with very quick leg action."

 Johnson considered leaving Hart after he graduated. He moved to Florida to train, but quickly realized he preferred working with Hart. The separation lasted just a few weeks.

 Ten years later, Johnson has six world titles and three Olympic gold medals. He lives in Dallas and still drives the 100 miles South to Waco to train with Hart two or three times a week.

 The central Texas heat, which scorches into the 100s with alarming regularity in the summer, would be reason enough to run somewhere else.

 Hart said Johnson simply likes the privacy of Waco. Johnson said it's all about Hart.

 "The fact that he's here is why I come here," said Johnson. "Why mess with success? We've developed a great relationship and he's someone I can trust."

 Such a bond between athlete and coach is seldom seen, Nelson said.

 "These days, with athletes looking for quick fixes and secret formulas, it is unusual," Nelson said. "I think one thing working in Michael's favor is that he believes in what (Hart's) doing."

 Hart is equally dedicated to his superstar pupil. Selected to be a coach for the American track team in the 2000 Olympics, Hart resigned from the post to work exclusively with Johnson.

 "I couldn't give the other athletes the attention they deserve," Hart said. "It wouldn't be fair to them."

 Johnson turned to Hart in 1999 after a series of injuries and bad performances left him depressed and griping that track wasn't fun anymore. Hart reminded him of their goal -- to break the world record in the 400 meters -- and the two quickly got back to work.

 That summer, Johnson's time of 43.18 seconds at the World Championships in Spain shattered the 11-year-old mark of 43.29 set by Butch Reynolds.

 Johnson suffered a setback when a strained left hamstring forced him to pull up in his 200 meters showdown with Maurice Greene at the U.S. Olympic trials last month. Since then, Johnson has returned to Hart's side. Hart said things are going fine.

 "He's running the 400 as well now as he's ever run it," Hart said.

 With the world record already in hand, another gold medal is the only goal in Australia, Hart said.

 "Times don't mean anything this year," Hart said. "Gold means everything."