Lausanne, Switzerland - This afternoon Dawn Harper, Lolo Jones, Asafa Powell and Dayron Robles spoke to the international press on the eve of the Athletissima meeting (Tue 2 Sep), an IAAF Super Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.

Dayron Robles:

Robles, Olympic 110m Hurdles champion in Beijing, is looking to another sub-13 seconds time, a barrier he has already broken six times in this outdoor season. In his last outing Robles edged out David Oliver by one hundredth of a second with 12.97 in Zürich.
 
Dayron, have you recovered from Zürich and what is your goal for tomorrow in Lausanne?

“I feel very better than in Zürich. I went around Lausanne and I saw the beautiful lake and people enjoying the sunny day. I feel very relaxed. It would be very special to break the World record in Lausanne.”
 
Do you feel extra motivation because Liu Xiang broke the World record on this track?

“Breaking the World record has always been my motivationand it does not matter where it takes place.”
 
Can you explain your consistency this year?

“This year I worked very hard. This explains why I am so consistent under13 seconds. My goal has always been to run the perfect race. I have now more confidence in running under 13 seconds. It still remains very special to dip under 13.”

Why is Cuba so strong in the 110 metres Hurdles?

“My coach Santiago Antunez created a hurdling school and contributed to the development of strong hurdlers in Cuba.”

What is your goal for the rest of the season and your future career?

“My main goal is to win all races. For the future I would like to continue my career for a long time and be remembered as the most consistent hurdler with more times under 13 seconds.”

Are you frustrated that you won the Olympic title without Liu Xiang in the Beijing final?

“I am not frustrated to win without Liu but sad for what happened. I think that I could run faster against Liu in the race.”

What is the difference between the Olympic title and the World record?

“They are totally different things. The Olympic title is more special because the Olympic Games take place every four years.”

Asafa Powell:

Asafa Powell, former 100 metres World record holder, has arrived in Lausanne after his impressive 9.87 in torrential rain in the Gateshead IAAF Grand Prix on Sunday. This result made up for some of the disappointment for his fifth place in Beijing where his compatriot Usain Bolt broke the World record with 9.69.

Asafa, can you tell something more about the race in Gateshead? What is your goal for tomorrow’s race in Lausanne?

“Considering the weather conditions I did not expect to run so well. I would like to run very fast because I know it is a very good track. This year I worked very hard on a lot of stuff and on my technique. I still feel very strong and in good shape.”

Do you feel some extra motivation?

“I don’t take this race in Lausanne as a revenge but I try to learn from my mistakes. I perform better in Grand Prix and Golden League races rather than in big championships but I cannot explain the reasons. I had a lot of injuries this year that stopped me from training hard. For this reason I was impressed by my 9.82 in Monaco and my 9.87 in Gateshead in difficult conditions.”

Was the World record a goal for the 4x100 relay team?
 
“Our first goal was to win and get the stick around as safely as possible. The World record was not our priority.”

How can you explain the success of Usain Bolt in the 200 metres?

“Usain loves the 200 metres, a distance he loves. This distance is closer to his heart. He really knows how to run this distance.”
 
What are your goals for the rest of the season?
 
“I am planning to run in Brussels, Rieti and the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart. I will return to Jamaica only at the end of September.”

Lolo Jones:
 
Lolo Jones is taking the post-Olympic competitions as a time to redeem for the setback she had in Beijing where she crashed into a hurdle finishing seventh in the Olympic final.
 
Are you still sad for what happened in Beijing?

“Yes, of course I am very sad but getting back to races I am making up for this disappointment. It was the first time this happened because of my mistake.”

What is your goal for the rest of the season ?
“I want to continue to run faster and improve my PB”.

How was your last race in Zürich?

“I was emotionally drained but at the start I regained my rhythm.”

Dawn Harper:

Dawn Harper will line-up in Lausanne as reigning Olympic champion after her surprising win in the Bird’s Nest in Beijing.
 
What did you feel after your last race in Zürich?

“Zürich was not a good race. I moved well in the middle but I floated from the eighth hurdle.
Did you expect to become an Olympic champion?

“I executed what I had planned with my coach in Beijing.”
 
What do you expect fron the race in Lausanne?

“I expect to execute a better race than in Zürich. My coach gave me some advice after that race. He said that if I am healthy I can win many races and become the top hurdler in the world.”
 
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF