LSU junior, Bennie Brazell already hastwo National Championship rings from last season — one fromfootball and one from track.
    Now he’s going for a gold medal.
    Brazell ran a 48.19 — the fifth fastesttime — in the 400-meter hurdles semifinal to qualify for theOlympic final held Thursday in Athens, Greece.
    ”I had to get it done no matter what,”Brazell said in a statement on the Athens Olympics Web site.
    Dominican Felix Sanchez clocked thefastest time in the semifinals with a 47.93. Sanchez, who won theworld championship in 2001 and 2003 has not been beaten in morethan three years.
    Brazell’s American teammate, JamesCarter, ran a 48.18 in his semifinal. Carter finished fourth at the2000 Games in Sydney and said his race went well.
    ”I felt easy, relaxed, I feltcomfortable,” Carter said. “I was just cruising out there. I madesure I made it across the last hurdle, and then I just took iteasy.”
    Carter then predicted victory inThursday’s race.
    ”I will win the final,” Carter said.
    American Angleo Taylor, the 2000 Olympicgold medalist, failed to qualify for the final. Taylor ran a 48.72,finishing fourth in his semifinal heat.
    Brazell clocked his personal best timeat the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this summer. Brazell ran a 48.05to finish behind Carter and Taylor.
    During his career at LSU, the junior haswon four NCAA track championships, two each in the 400 and1600-meter relays. He is also a 10-time All-American in track.
    Brazell is the second LSU athlete tocompete in the Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles. Glen “Slats”Hardin won the silver medal in the event in 1932 and took the goldin 1936.
    On the football field, Brazell played in11 games for the Tigers in 2003. He recorded eight tackles onspecial teams on kickoff and punt coverage duty.
    Brazell will be in lane eight forThursday’s race at 2:30 p.m.