My preparation was totally focused on trying to improve my personal best (49:16). In the last months we trained specifically on speed endurance on distances longer and shorter than 400 metres. We worked on 300 metres, 350 metres and 380 metres, up to 500 metres trying to attain maximum speed at 400 metres.

The goals we had set for this season with my coach Raúl Barreda Mauri were to improve my personal best and see how we handled each competition. This included the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, one of the key events leading up to the highlight of the season: the World Championships in Paris.

It was a great satisfaction for me to be in Santo Domingo, where I successfully defended the gold medal I had won in the previous Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada in 1999.

It was exciting to be with the people of Santo Domingo, to be part of the multi-sport Mexican delegation and be its flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony in the Estadio Olímpico “José Manuel Duarte” on August 1st.

These Pan Am Games are like a foretaste of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, and I am delighted to be a part of the current Olympic cycle, and to evaluate there with my coach my performances leading up to the World Championships in Paris.

After Santo Domingo I competed at the 75th edition of the Weltklasse in Zürich as part of my training for Paris.

I was totally satisfied with my participation in Zürich; for the second time I competed in the Letzigrund Stadium and could improve my previous personal best of 49.16, set there in 2002. Running 49.11 there this year before the World Championships makes me very excited. 

This result of 49.11 brings me nearer and nearer to the very best all time marks over 400 metres, now I just need to maintain my form to arrive at the World Championships with all the energy and punch that I had on the night of 15 August during the race in Zürich.

The spectators are very important in Zürich, this is something I always say when I remember these fans who are so supportive of the athletes. You really fully enjoy competing in the Letzigrund Stadium, running in this scenario is a true feast.

There is great expectation now for the World Championships, where some people already see me on the podium, but I must arrive in Paris with a cool head from the first qualifying round, and fine-tune my performances in each race, in progression towards the final, where there are very good chances to accomplish the very best, but nothing is yet achieved.

I am proceeding towards the Olympic Games, but step by step, we cannot speed up events, and there are still 12 months to Athens 2004.

I hope 2003 will reward me, that it will be as good as or better than the 2002 season!

Ana