Athlete Press Points – 2011 World Athletics Gala

MonacoA slew of reigning World champions met with the media in Monaco today on the eve of the 2011 World Athletics Gala. Here is a sampling of what some of them had to say.

David Rudisha (KEN), 2011 World 800m champion, World record holder -

On his training regimen for the 2012 season:

“I want to combine training from 2010 and 2011. I want to train for fast races but also for championship, tactical races.”

“I’d like to begin again in Australia with perhaps another fast 400 metres.”

On his preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games:

“I was ready in 2008 for the Olympic Games but unfortunately I missed the Kenyan trials with a thigh injury. I watched those Olympics but it was tough to watch. But it was good in the end because a Kenyan, Wilfred Bungei, was the champion.”

“This year I want to my best to make the team and then to win the gold medal.”

On finding motivation after breaking the world record and winning the World title:

“It’s always tough for a champion to maintain your position when you’re on top. But the most important thing is to be disciplined. It’s important to keep in mind that what I have done has already passed. What is important is what will come tomorrow.”

On His chief opposition in 2012:

“I don’t want to say any one person will be my main opponent. Anyone can come up and surprise, especially at the Olympics. The important thing is to train and be prepared for anything.”

On the biggest change the 2011 season brought to him:

“2011 really changed a lot of things for me. In 2008 I missed the Olympics, in 2009 I didn't get to the final in Berlin. Some were saying that I wasn’t a championships runner. This year I wanted to prove that I was. That I could win. That I could control the pace from the front.”

Patrick Makau (KEN), World record holder in the Marathon at 2:03:38 -

What would result from a race between himself and fellow Kenyans Emmanuel Mutai, Geoffrey Mutai and Wilson Kipsang, this year’s four fastest marathoners?

“We would do something really good. But we would be focusing only on winning.”

Makau was brought up in a very poor family with five brothers and one sister. What are some of the hardships he remembers?

“The hardest part was going to sleep when I was hungry. Then to wake up and go to school when I had an empty stomach.”

“Sometimes I had only one meal a day, but sometimes none.”

Sally Pearson (AUS), World 100m Hurdles champion -

On what she’s been doing since the end of the season:

“I haven’t had a lot of down time. I’ve been busy with various functions. I don’t like having down time or time off. I like to keep very active and I don’t like to take a break from training.”

On her plans for the 2012 season –

“I’ll probably start in early February in the Australian summer season, mostly 100s and 200s, to build my speed and strength. On the indoor season, my first thought is no, but for me not competing when others are is very tough. So I haven’t entirely ruled out the World Indoor Championships.”

“I’ve been pre-selected for the Olympics so I don’t have to do the trials and Australian season. But it’s always nice to compete at home.”

On what she perceives as her main improvement in 2011 -

“I think the main thing that I improved on this past season was the last part of my race, the last four hurdles. In previous years that was my downfall. It wasn’t so much that I was going slower but everyone else was able to come up and overtake me at the end. So we built on my strength, my speed and my endurance as much as we could. So that really benefitted me this year. And so I still think that there’s a little bit more to improve there. I definitely think I can get back down to the 12.2s again.”

Anna Chicherova (RUS), World High Jump champion

On her attempt at a 2.10m World record in Brussels:

“I’m so glad I had the chance to try the World record. It inspired me to try it again because the attempt wasn’t a bad one.”

“When I watched it on television at home I thought, ‘wow, anything is possible.’ But I felt that in the competition, too. So I’m really glad I had this chance.”

Tatyana Chernova (RUS), World Heptathlon champion

Her face-off against Briton Jessica Ennis will be one of the most watched competitions at the Olympics in London next summer. Her thoughts on the rivalry?

“Jessica was the champion for three years. The Olympic Games will be in London, and she’ll have lots of fans there. But we have five girls now who can win. There are also Hyleas Fountain, Jennifer Oeser, and Nataliya Dobrynska. We have lots of great girls right now so I can’t just focus on one.”

Which are her favourite events?

“My strongest are the Long Jump and Javelin Throw. I love the Long Jump and to jump seven metres is my dream. I would like to double in the Long Jump and Heptathlon at the Olympics but it will be very difficult. We have very good long jumpers in Russia and to just make the team would be difficult.”

The likelihood of breaking the 7000-point barrier (her current career best is 6880pts from Daegu) –

“I collect all my personal records and together they’re much more than 7000 points. So it’s always possible.”

Amantle Montsho (BOT), World 400m champion

On what aspect of her race she wants to work on as the 2012 Olympics approach –

“I won’t change anything in my training. I only have to improve my speed. I’m not very good at the start so I have to improve on that. And my endurance at the end of the race.”

Does she have any time goals in mind for next year?

“I just want to do a persona best. Yeah, in London.”

Bob Beamon (USA), 1968 Olympic Long Jump champion, former World record holder

On hearing when his legendary 8.90m World record was broken at the 1991 World Championships:

“Every now and then I would get excited about seeing who was out there in the long jump, in the triple jump, who’s the fastest guy out there in the 100 metres. I got a chance to see Mike at one of the competitions and he was kind of like the guy, sort of like I was - if he hits one out there, it’s going to be out there. Carl Lewis had already produced some really high numbers, already making it like there was nobody out there but Carl.”

“So I got a very early phone call, something like six o’clock in the morning. My teammate, Ron Freeman who took third in the 1968 Olympic 400, called me and he says, ‘Bob, it’s gone.’ And I said, ‘What the heck are you talking about?’

He said a gentleman named Mike Powell broke your record. And for a moment I couldn’t put two and two together and then suddenly it hit me: wow, I thought, what a beautiful ride I had for about 23 years."

Mike Powell (USA), current World record holder in the Long Jump at 8.95m, one breaking the World record in what remains to this day the finest Long Jump competition in history:

Carl (Lewis) had just broken the World record in the 100 metres. And I knew I was in great, great shape. I had a tremendous last session in training. And I was very confident, and very, very focused. But very respectful of what Carl could do. I just felt like it was my time, my moment.”

“It meant a whole lot, all at once. First, beating Carl for one, because nobody could beat him. We all tried real hard! And then that it took a World record to beat him.”

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF