2007 World Athletics Gala - Press meet with Yelena Isinbayeva (© IAAF)
Several current and former World champions and Olympic medallists met with the media throughout the day at the Hotel Fairmont in Monte Carlo. Here is some of what they had to say.
Donald Thomas (BAH), World High Jump champion
On his growing popularity after winning the World title in Osaka:
“Everything at home changed. I’m more popular at home, people were recognizing me, people were asking for my autograph.”
On ‘learning’ high jumping technique:
“I just saw it and then I tried it. I guess that’s why it’s so funny. I just want to keep jumping high. I don’t care about technique. I just want to improve certain aspects of my jump, but not by copying someone else. Maybe if I tried someone else’s I might not jump as high.”
On competing in basketball shoes:
“When I first started competing a lot of people were cheering me on. They’d ask, ‘do you want to try my spikes?’ I said ‘no thanks.’ I’ll be trying to jump in High Jump shoes. I hope everything will go well with that.”
Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), World Pole Vault champion
On her 2007 season:
It was the first time I won all my competitions, I won the world championship in Osaka, and I won the Golden League Jackpot. I think my season was great!”
On breaking her own World record of 5.01:
“When I changed my technique (in 2005) my coach told me that the next two years would be difficult. I’m much more confident now. I’m feeling that (the World record) is coming soon.”
Jeremy Wariner (USA), World 400m champion
On how he's progressing as a 400m runner:
“The more I’ve run the 400, the more I’ve learned about it. But I’ll never know everything about it. After 43 years of coaching it, my coach (Clyde Hart) says he’s still not an expert.”
On his plans for the upcoming Olympic Games:
“I’m hoping to double in the 200 and 400 at the U.S. trials. I think I can become much faster in the 200. I think it’ll definitely take sub-20 (seconds) to make the U.S. team in the 200. In the 400, I think the Beijing final will be faster than Osaka.”
On moving up to the 800m:
“That’ll never happen.”
Paula Radcliffe (GBR), World Marathon record holder
On her next competition:
“I want to race because I missed racing but at the same time I want to get things right in Beijing so I have to work out which race will be best to do that.”
The first decision will have to be whether to run a spring Marathon. And then, yes or no, to whether the World Cross Country Championships fits in to that. And which other races if that’s not an option.
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), World Marathon record holder
On the difficulty of finally breaking the World record in the Marathon:
When I ran the 1500 then the 5000 and the 10,000, it was just kind of a jog. Compared to what I’m doing right now. Honestly speaking, I think this is a time to think about what the Marathon athlete is doing. The Marathon is not just an easy effort. When you run the Marathon you rung against the distance. I’ve been running the last 20 years. Running 5000, 10,000. When I planned to break the record on the track, I did it after just a few times. But the Marathon took many years.
Blanka Vlasic (CRO), World High Jump champion
On how her Osaka victory will set her up for Beijing:
“Osaka was a big breakthrough for my career. Now there will be less pressure next year (at the Olympic Games). It’s different after you’ve won once. It’s much easier, I think, to win something a second time.”
On breaking the World record:
“I don’t think about World records. My plan has always been just to get better each year.”
Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR), World 1500m World record holder and IAAF Ambassador
Any chances of returning from retirement:
I have had some thoughts, but no I don’t think I’ll ever come back. I’ve always run for the love of the sport but society wants you to win. I want to keep the image of me winning. Now I’ll continue to run but just for pleasure, and not for performance.
Lee Evans (USA), 1968 Olympic 400m champion
On the major differences he's seen in the sport over the past four decades:
The biggest difference between now and when I ran is of course that the sport is professional now. That’s good. I like to think I had something to do with that. Everyone likes to get rewarded for what they do. I stopped running when I was 24. There was no money in the sport so we had to go to work.
Tommie Smith (USA), 1968 Olympic 200m champion
On the major differences he's seen in the sport over the past four decades:
We ran for the love for the sport, the camaraderie between the guys, but there was no money. I remember running in some meets when we would run hungry. We would leave home hungry, go run a World record, and come back hungry. I think we were the pioneers for today’s generation. We were organising committees for the organizations then on behalf of the athletes. If we got a per diem, we got $2 a day. I had 11 World records and couldn’t pay rent.
Carl Lewis (USA), nine-time Olympic champion
On the Carl Lewis Foundation:
The basis for everything I’m doing is mentoring, and teaching, but also giving something. Because I think I have the unique opportunity and ability to do things that other people cannot do. I’m at a point now where I can take even more advantage of it.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
