Brooksville’s John Capel, left congratulates Tyson Gay after Gay’s first-place finish in the opening rounds of the men’s 200-meter qualifying at Friday’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Capel finished third to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals

This is a short feature from Tribune correspondent Patrick O’Neill on former Brooksville Hernando and University of Florida track and football star John Capel, who is trying to make a third consecutive Olympic team after serving a two-year-suspension for testing positive for marijuana.

EUGENE, Ore.—John Capel credits his 8-year-old daughter, Janya, with keeping him honest. After Capel, who served a two-year suspension from track for smoking marijuana, ran his opening-round 200-meter race Friday in the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, he said his daughter keeps on him about staying out of trouble.

Capel, in the same heat with 100 winner Tyson Gay, qualified third in a time of 20.73 to advance to today’s quarterfinal round. Being “hardheaded” led him to be a rule-breaker, Capel said.

“I had to figure it out on my own,” he said. “I never was the type of person who went by the rules too much. I always kind of went by my own [rules]. When you’re out here doing professional athletics, professional sports, you have to follow their rules. It took a little bit for me to learn that.”

Capel, who has another daughter, Serenity, and a 1-year-old son, John, Jr., said its Janya who stays on top of him. She was reading on a 6th-grade level in 1st grade and that’s when she looked her father’s name up on the Internet and discovered about his troubles.

Janya Capel read her father’s MySpace page and Googled his name, he said.

“She’s read every story just about that’s ever been written about me since 2004,” Capel said with a smile. “She gets on me about every day. [She asks:] Are you still smoking? Are you still getting in trouble?

Capel said he’s learned his lesson. Although 29, he say he’s ready to bring his career back into high gear. Unable to qualify in the 100, Capel says the 200, a race in which he’s a former world champion (2003), is more forgiving and more attuned to his racing style.

“The 200 is a more patient race,” he said. “You’ve got a chance to make a couple of mistakes, and I think that’s a lot better race for me.”

In his heat, Capel said he let up coming off the turn. “I let up about 110 (meters). I just kept my composure, stayed strong coming home, and tried not to let too many people pass me coming in.”

Capel, who spent time as forklift operator and “breaking cement” when he was out of the sport, said he’s still shaking off rust.

“It was all about being rusty, getting the rust off, getting my body back,” he said. “That’s been the only hard part.”

Capel said he’s not bitter about a decision to keep him off the 400 relay team at the 2004 Games after it was discovered he tested postive for pot at an a meet earlier that summer.

“They got to make sure they save face for US Track and Field,” he said. “Who knows what would have happened, but it was all for the better. It just makes you hungrier and stronger.

“I feel like as long as I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll progress and get better and better. As long as I keep in shape, and stay focused. I’ll be around for awhile.”