What the said: 2010 US Indoor Track & Field Championships Day 1

Saturday, February 27, 2010 (Albuquerque, N.M) — Quotes courtesy USA Track & Field.

Anna Pierce, women’s 800 meter heat winner

“I wanted a bank, I didn’t even have to do anything so that was pretty nice. I feel good. I think all the altitude training is paying off. I spent most of my time training in Mammoth, I feel like I can deal with the altitude and not get too bogged down.”

Nick Symmonds, men’s 800 meter heat winner

“We all wanted to work together a little bit. I was supposed to take over the lead with 150 to go but it was too fast. I just found a way to work with him. I said last night I don’t anyone is going to run under 1:48 on this track and I think we might have just done that.”

Erica McLain, women’s triple jump winner

“I was cramping on my first jump a little bit. I felt it and knew I had to push through. My first jump ended up being 1cm over what I needed, I watched everyone’s mark and tried to stay as together as I could and it all worked out. I didn’t have much in me afterwards. In the finals I jumped on my first one and cramped, passed on the second and cramped again. I feel pretty good about how the day went. I like the runway, my training is going really well. I haven’t had a US championship title since 2005 outdoor championships and that was my freshman year of college and actually then I was just 1 cm over the standard I needed. I wanted this so bad.”

Allyson Felix, women’s 400 meter heat winner

“I felt a little sluggish, so we will just have to see how it goes. (On feeling the altitude) I felt something. Because of the altitude I’m definitely a little sluggish out there. (On the finals) I think I am going to be in the slower heat. We’ll see I’m not feeling too great going into it, but lets see if my legs can get it together.”

Kerron Clement, men’s 400 meter heat winner

“It went well today. The altitude was a little bit of a factor. It was my first time running at this altitude. The track is a fast track, but it was good.”

Jesse Williams, men’s high jump winner

“It got off to a shaky start with a couple of the lower heights and I was in fourth place when the bar changed to 7′7″. I knew I had to at least make that height to get on the team. I went ahead and made 7′8″. A couple of other guys made it and I knew if I didn’t make 7′8″ I still may have not made the team because I had a couple other early misses. I knew I had to make 7′8″, I made it on the first attempt and I feel really good about it. It was a great competition. I think it was the best competition ever for the USA championships. It was an honor to be a part of and especially to win. I am excited and I really feel that I can get a medal. The Russians have won a lot of things for a long time. Hopefully we can take it to the Russians. I’ve been training very hard. I had an injury (strained tendon on my jumping foot, just below the ankle) and this is only my second meet of the year. I hope I didn’t re-hurt my foot, it’s kind of tender right now and it isn’t feeling too goo d.”

Tim Seaman, men’s 5000 meter race-walk winner

“Today went different. Out of all the 12 championships this is definitely the most topsy turvy race I have ever done. With the altitude you can’t just push, you have push and then rest. Once I’ve taken the lead I have never let it up. This is the first time that I let the lead up. I was frustrated that I took it out so slow. I told myself ‘Ok, I’m going to take it,’ and I pushed too hard and I had to slow down. It felt like my lungs were burning and I spent three weeks at altitude so I can only imagine how these other guys how bad they felt. This is my 43rd win overall, so it moves me into No. 2 all-time track and field national championship wins. This was my 12th win in indoor, which is the most by any athlete in any event in track and field history.”

Amber Campbell, women’s weight throw winner

“This hands down was one of the best series ever. It felt great, the crowd was amazing, the ball was just flying. It felt amazing. (how it felt to open with the her best throw) Fantastic. You can never complain about opening up with your best throw ever. I was trying to focus on the things we have been working on in practice. It was mechanical. I was trying to hit the things that I have been working on, it was very step one, step two, step three. I guess I should do it like that all the time. (on her homecoming) My god parents are here and my uncle, I haven’t seen them in years. It really is like coming home.”

Tim Mack, men’s pole vault winner

“It means a lot. I am still fired up. This is the highest I have jumped in indoors in six years. I felt really good coming into the meet. (competition with the other gold medaler) We are actually really good friends, we helped each other out a lot. But a lot of time during competition I have too much to worry about than to think about other people. I was competing against the event really.”

Chaunte Howard Lowe, women’s high jump winner

“This hit my outdoor personal record (PR) but indoor yes that is the closest I have ever come to it. I knew I was over it, I felt it. Maybe I got lazy at the end but I didn’t feel like I touched the bar or anything so when it came down it shocked me. But I was happy to be able to get that much height over it. This is the best I have ever jumped this early in the season. My indoor PR last year was 195, this is by far the best. It’s really exciting because I haven’t PRed since I had my daughter, and she is two and a half now. This is huge for me. When I saw the bar fall, I was excited because I got that high, but it felt like everything had slipped through my fingers. That would have been a good mark for the Visa Series.”

Bernard Lagat, men’s 3000 meter winner

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel with the altitude. I actually didn’t feel anything after about five laps. I just wanted to have fun. I was running on the inside. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on who was going to make a move. I just wanted to win and make the team. I wanted to maintain the lead. I wanted to make sure I was going to be number one. I wanted to win and make the team. That is what I came here for.”

Renee Metivier Baillie, Women’s 3000 meter winner

“Coach might be mad at me I was supposed to wait five laps and then take off. I could just tell that everyone was putting on the breaks and I thought screw it I’m going to go. I had a really good workout on Tuesday so I had the confidence to continue. In a race situation you don’t always know what to do so I just went with my gut. I never quite knew how far the gap was, I was just focused on myself. I had to stay in the moment each lap by lap. I know I have a good kick and as soon as I hit the last lap I knew I was going to give it a run. I didn’t know what was going to happen but you have to be confident in yourself whether you win or lose.”

A.G. Kruger, men’s weight throw winner

“I had a lot of fun this year. I trained to throw far. I knew I was capable so I just came out here and threw. The tenth best throw ever. It was great.”

Lawrence Willis, men’s triple jump winner

“The competition was great. Jumping against the regining champion, I knew I had to put up a good mark. It’s…I don’t even know what to say. After taking a year off, with all the support from my family and friends, this just feels great.”

Day 4 morning quotes, 2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships

Shawn Crawford (Los Angeles), Men’s 200

I did what I was supposed to do. I came out in the preliminary and qualified for the next round. I tried to get as many cobwebs out as I could.

Wallace Spearmon (College Station, Texas), Men’s 200

I ran easily for the first round, and tried to save as much as possible for the next round.

Casey Malone (Ft. Collins, Colo.), Men’s Discus

It’s great to be one and done! The throw felt technically sound, so I’m happy with it!

I couldn’t ask for a better performance in the morning then getting it done quickly. There are 15 competitors in that preliminary. If you don’t do it for your first throw, you are sitting around for 15 minutes before you get another. It’s the same thing if you don’t get it on that one. You really want to get it done early so you are not out there for 45 minutes, mostly on your feet.

(On the throw) That was the type of throw I was looking to get our here. I really want that type of performance regardless of whether it was a qualifier for not. That is the farthest throw I have ever had at a championship event. I’d like to build off that going into the finals. I’m not complacent to end it there. I’m pretty much happy with practice and how everything is going for the finals. I wanted to get it done early, get out of here and go rest.

Jarred Rome( Chula Vista, Calif.), Men’s discus

This is the best I have ever felt for a major championship. In 2005, I got seventh. I was a few centimeters away from medaling. This year, I started the year slow. I was feeling OK in nationals. I made the team. I’ve been over here for two months, since nationals, just training. My warm-ups were good, all over the qualifier. My first one, I think, I got the nerves a little bit. The second one, I hit really hard, 65.50. I’m ready to medal.

Lionel Larry (Compton, Calif.), Men’s 400 meters

I thought I could have gone a little bit better. It was kind of windy. If I had gone a little bit faster, I won’t have to play the waiting game. I still have to figure out what I am going to do for the next day. I have to wait and see. The wind was in my face for 300 meters.

Gil Roberts (Oklahoma City), Men’s 400 meters

I just had a bad race. I just didn’t have it today. It was windy. But I am not making any excuses. I lost because I lost. It was just not my time.

LaShawn Merritt (Suffolk, Va.), Men’s 400 meters

It was a good race. 45.2 I got out good. I ran pretty comfortable. I did what I had to do and that’s get ready for tomorrow. If there was a wind, there was a wind for everyone. Everybody felt the wind. But I didn’t feel it that much. I ran a comfortable race and finished up like I wanted to. Clocked in this morning, went to work and now I am going to clock out and get ready for tomorrow.

Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco), Women’s 1,500 meters

I was running. It was pretty packed up. I got tripped up by the same girl. I fell down at 200, got up, got back to the pack and the same girl cut me off again. It was a little bit frustrating. After falling, I tried to be smart catching up again, but I was a little timid by the time I got going again. I’m pretty disappointed. But that’s how it goes sometimes.

I’m hoping we will protest. I’m hoping to get another shot at it. That is definitely not what I am capable of. That’s how it goes when it’s a semi or a quarterfinal. You usually go slow and it’s usually packed up. I tried to stay on my feet. But unfortunately today, I was unable to. I was on the outside of lane 1, where everyone wants to be. It was kind of a messy race, with a lot of people moving around in there. I hope I get a chance at going again. I hope I have a chance of making the finals.

Anna Willard (Mammonth Lakes, Calif.), Women’s 1,500 meters

It was a physical race. There was a lot of shoving. But that’s fine. I expected that. You expect the physicality, especially in the first round. Everyone is super antsy, with all the waiting. It’s already been a couple of days of the championship and everyone is excited to go. When you are running slower than your PR pace, everyone wants the perfect position, so that’s going to happen.

Christin Wurth-Thomas (Springdale, Arkansas), Women’s 1500 meters

In the beginning, there was some jostling going on. I don’t like to feel that there are people on top of me, so I was telling myself, “‘This is butt-slow! We go faster than this at USAs, so let’s just go!’”

I felt comfortable during the race, and over the last 50 meters, I looked up at the monitor knowing where I was at, and basically shut it down. I was hoping that the pace would be faster, but hey, it’s the prelims, so you gotta go with it.

Amy Acuff (Isleton, Calif.), Women’s high jump

I’m really excited. I don’t take making the finals for granted. Everyone is a treasure. I’m really happy to be there, especially in Berlin. I felt like I got up at 6 a.m. I felt like it was early in the morning. I drank my little green tea, but it didn’t really kick me up. I think I will feel better in the final. I want to go back (to the hotel), take a nap and get rested and try to have a more fluid run. I’m just going to let myself go and not micromanage everything.

Chaunte Howard (Snellville, Ga.), Women’s high jump

(On getting excited after clearing at 1.89) I did get excited. I didn’t particularly feel great today. I’m usually a morning person. But this morning I felt kind of flat. To go ahead and clear 1.89 then clear 1.92 and 1.95 on first appearances let me know that it’s going to be a good result. (Clearing 1.95) That was a sigh of relief. I was up praying all night because I couldn’t sleep. I felt like everything was going to work out today.

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