Day Four Quotes

Women's 20k Race Walk
Michelle Rohl, 1st place
"I'm not really pleased with my race today. I expected it to be a lot faster, but between the conditions and the fact that I was on my own, and I made a mistake in the beginning of the race by going out so hard, I still hung on the best I could. My last kilometer was
just pathetic (laughter) but other than that it wasn't that bad."

Amber Antonia, 2nd place
"This is the third 20k I've ever walked, and before today I didn't have the B-standard (qualifying mark for IAAF World Championships) but today I got the B-standard and I just felt very confident throughout the whole thing. My goal was to get the B-standard, I wasn't even thinking of getting second place, so I'm very happy. My technique wasn't great before, so I spent the last couple weeks at the Arco Training Center in California, where I worked on a lot of drills. I'm much more efficient now."

Jill Zenner, 3rd place
"It went pretty well, and I think I walked pretty even splits, which is good. I lost it pretty bad the last couple of laps when I started hurting pretty bad, but overall I'm pretty happy with how it went. It wasn't as fast as I thought I was going to be able to go, but given that the weather conditions weren't the greatest, it was fine."

Women's high jump
Amy Acuff, 1st place
"It was freezing. My clothes are soaked through. Being this cold with the wind and getting wet, I got chilled. My muscles tightened up. I was missing at 6-0 , which shouldn't be a problem for me. I was going psychotic. I was moving to keep my blood flowing. I was getting crazy thoughts. I was imagining I was underwater, and the bubbles were going up."
(On attempting the next height.)
"I knew I was not going to make it. It was too difficult. I hope the fans were not disappointed."

Erin Aldrich, 2nd place
"I had an idea it might rain. I mentally prepared for it. The conditions were not very stellar. I was determined to go out and have fun with it. Unfortunately, it didn't happen for me."

Men's 800m
David Krummenacker, 1st place
"I think it has been a big time comeback for some of us. I've had some heart-breaking experiences. After not making the Olympic team last year I just went home and took it all in. I went back to the drawing board. My coach said this year we were going to concentrate on the 800m. I found out I was animic after the Trials last year so I have had to work to get all my levels right. I increased the mileage and worked to keep my iron levels up high."

Derrick Peterson, 2nd place
"It was close at the end. Very close. I am excited to make the team. I'm going to go home and get with my coach. I will run a couple meets over in Europe, but I am in summer school right now at the University of Missouri. I am finishing my degree this summer in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism."

Jeff Strutzel, 3rd place
"It was so close. I am happy, I just wanted to at least get third. It's my first international team. I didn't know who would take it out (prior to the race). I looked around me coming down the straight away. I didn't know where the other runners were. All I could hear from the announcer was like rah, rah, blah. It's all about the panther. Strong, calm, very self-aware."

Women's Shot Put
Sua, 1st place, does not have world champs A standard
"I think the rain threw everybody off. Seeing athletes fall down can really upset you. It got better when we changed rings. I expected to PR today, even with the weather. Every year I've seen Connie (Price-Smith) compete and knew that I'd be up there some day. I will compete in the discus for sure since that's my focus."

Connie Price-Smith, 2nd place
"I'm not really disappointed. Sad, not disappointed. Sua is a great competitor and it's easier to lose to someone who si throwing great. Of course I wanted to do better, but you can't always control that. I'm finished. This is my last nationals. I knew at the beginning of the year that this would be my last season."

Women's 800
Hazel Clark, 2nd place
"I told myself to hang on and not break form. J.J. [Clark, her coach and brother] told me that my main focus here was to make the team. We [my sister-in-law, Jearl Miles-Clark & JJ] wanted to go as a family, but she got hurt so that didn't happen.
"Regina checked me at 600 and that threw me off a little. My sister told me that Regina would elbow me so I was expecting it"
"I just want to be tough and compete. You can't guess what different competitors are going to do, so you just have to run a straight race."

Jennifer Toomey, 3rd place (doesn't have world champs A standard)
"I was a little worried early about how far back I was. I was just going for it over the final 200. My husband [Mike Toomey, a former All American cross country runner at Umass - Lowell] told me to give it all I had for the first 600, then see what I had left for the last 200. I just charged the last straight. The race was slower than I thought it would be early. I thought Hazel was gonna take it out harder. That wasn't the case at all. Now I'll try to get the standard. I'm racing next weekend at the Maine Distance Festival."

Men's 110m hurdles
Allen Johnson, 1st place
"The wind didn't feel that strong. It felt maybe like a .5 headwind. I knew what everybody in the race was capable of. I knew they were capable of making the team and it was anybody's race. I felt like I was out there running for my life. I was scared to death. I went to bed last night at 11 pm and woke up at 4 am. I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't fall asleep until 7 am. I wasn't too sore after yesterday. I felt really really good. My nerves were jumping - it felt like it was my first national meet and I was just trying to make the finals."

Terrence Trammell, 2nd place
"Earlier I didn't do like I would have expected in the 100m. It was disappointed. I had some demons to exercise from the Trials in 1999 (fell over hurdle in finals, didn't finish). That played on my mind a lot. I am just glad to get on the team. I am relieved. We can go back to the drawing board. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I failed the last time here (Oregon). I just wanted to make sure I could run my race. (on his training partner winning) That's the way we always wanted it. I am happy."

Dwyane Wallace, 3rd place
"My race was bad! I didn't have a good start - I fell asleep in the blocks. But I am on the team and that's all that matters. Goal number one was to be on the team, goal number two was to win. It will be my first world championships. I am very excited because I expect to do very well."

Men's 200 Finals
Shawn Crawford, 1st place
"I was trying to match my 100m start. We had a good field out there, running with the top 200 meter runners in the world. I was just happy to come out and win. I think the wind effected me more than the rain. That's part of track and field; you've got to be prepared. My goal is always to run faster than the time before."
[on Bernard Williams not competing] "I think he did what was best for him. From what I understand his legs were tired after running the 100 and 200 heats yesterday. It would have been nice to have him out there though."

Kevin Little, 2nd place
"I know with the rain and wind it would be tough at the end. By the last stretch, it felt like I was running a 400 meter."

Ramon Clay, 3rd place
"This was a stepping stone for me. I finished the best way I could. I thought it was very slow paced in comparison to yesterday's heat times. With the weather the way it is, it seems like everybody was a little stale."

Women's 100m Hurdles
Gail Devers, first place
"The rain was not a factor for me. I have trained in a lot worse than this. Staying focused was my goal and the main thing was running with the wind pushing me up against the hurdle. The wind pushes me up to the hurdles and that is hard for me. I need to get off the hurdle because if I come into the hurdle to fast then I tend to back off them and that messes me up."

I have the best coach (for me) in the world in Bob Kersee. I go talk to him after the race and we decide what I need to do for the next race. Yesterday I felf flat. It was only my second race of the season and I needed some more races. This wasn't a pressure situation because I knew I was on the team but I always want to come out and perform well. I took it round by round and I felt better after the second round. I knew I needed to do the same things and finish in the finals and I did that.

"If God says to keep coming back then I know He has great things in store for me. Age doesn't matter; I still feel as if the best is yet to come."

Jenny Adams, second place
"I had a rough start. I almost fell. I'm not sure how I stayed up. It was very cold. I tweaked my hamstring in the semifinals. I'm a little disappointed in my time. But I made the team. That's what I came here for, I'm pleased. I couldn't be any happier."

Angelette Kirkland, third place
"I didn't think about the weather. I just wanted to come out and compete. This (outdoor) season has been trying with my injuries. I am happy to have come out here and make the team. I am looking forward to going to Edmonton and competing.

"I am happy that Gail (Devers) decided to stay in the sport and come back to compete. She is a great competitor and I love competing against her."

Men's Triple Jump
Walter Davis, third place
"It was drizzling but that didn't really affect my performance. I couldn't get my timing until my last jump.
I knew that if I wanted to make the team I needed to jump 55-56. I just put that last jump together. I am going to take a break now and then start working more on my technique before I go to Edmonton."

Women's 200
Marion Jones, first place
"When I woke and saw the weather, I kept saying, 'Please clear up, please clear up.' The race felt good. I was disappointed with the weather conditions. The conditions were not to allow for fast times. But the head wind wasn't just in lane 5. The head wind was in lanes 1 through 8. I would have loved it to be 75 with a +1.8 wind like yesterday. It just wasn't to be today."

Latasha Jenkins, second place
"I didn't race like I'm used to. I used too much energy in the in the curve. I went too hard out. I felt like it wasn't my race. But you live and learn. It's nice to be going back to the worlds. I look forward to great things."

Kelli White, third place
"I didn't expect to run the 200. I expected to only run the 100. But after I drugged tested in the 100, my dad, coach and aunt all said I should run the 200."

Women's Javelin
Kim Kreiner, winner
"I did some different things during practice. I practiced hard. All the hard work paid off. I feel wonderful."

Erica Wheeler, second place
"The conditions were not terrible. It was a little cold. But I came to compete."

Serene Ross, third place
"It's a great feeling to finish third. I had a rough last two years. I came in with the lowest qualifying mark. This feels good."

Men's Triple Jump Final
Lamark Carter, First
"The weather really didn't have an effect on me. I am not really happy with my series of marks. With these conditions you have to feel real good in order to compete well."

Robert Howard, Second
"I am just happy to be healthy finally. I am happy to have a good jump today. I am really hoping to help take U.S. jumping to the next level."

Walter Davis, Third
"My performance wasn't that good, but I am very happy that I made the team. My next competition will be in Spain, so I am just going to start preparing for that."

Men's Pole Vault
Lawrence Johnson, First
[on limping after competition] "I think I just came down on it on the last attempt and jarred it a little. But, I don't think it will be anything more than just a bruise. The weather made it a little difficult. I'm not really concerned with how everybody else is competing. I just stay focused on what I have to do. It's the U.S. Championships, so you just have to come out and compete and have fun."

Nicholas Hysong, Third
"It was pretty good conditions besides the rain. It is just tough when the ground is wet and you really can't get warm. But, I liked it more when it was raining because it gave us a tailwind. The think with the rain is that you just have to grip with confidence."

Men's Steeplechase
Tom Chorny, 1st place
"I was confident after getting the world champs standard that I could be in the top three. I was comfortable until the final 600. The last thing that I wanted to do was lose focus and hit a barrier. My workouts have been focused on 8:15 pace. It will take an exceptional performance to make the final in Edmonton. I had a lot of self-doubt on the last lap. All I had to do was keep form. I saw Tony [Famiglietti] falling apart and knew that I could get him. I hurdled the last water jump - something that I have been working on this season and sprinted for home. I was shocked to see Tim [Broe] go down [the leader, Tim Broe fell over the final barrier]. I don't think that I could have caught Tim otherwise."

Anothony Famiglietti, 2nd place
"It was crazy. If I hadn't had to go around Tim [Broe, who had fallen on the last barrier], I might have beaten Chorny. I was really disappointed for Tim, he is my teammate and he's been very fit."

Women's 5000
Marla Runyan, 1st place
"I just made the decision to move up to 5000 last fall. With nationals here in Eugene, it was a major goal to win here. I am grateful that it happened. I just love Eugene - I love the crowd, this track. This is a very special place. When I came around the backstretch and heard them chanting my name, I almost cried. I started out as a high jumper, then tried the heptathlon. I moved to Eugene in '96 to start training for the 800. A couple years ago, I wasn't fast enough for the Pre Classic 800, so they let me in the 1500. Now I'm in the 5000! I was just trying to keep Regina behind me. I knew that I had to be far ahead of her with a lap to go. The commentator [PA announcer] really helped me. I could here him telling the crowd how far ahead of Regina that I was several times during the race."

Regina Jacobs, 2nd place
"Running the 5000 was kind of a last minute decision. I told Tom [her husband] let's just go for it. I had taken some time off for the achilles injury that I got on May 8. I hadn't done any hard training over the last month, so I knew that I needed to get in some hard work. Plus I wanted to something historic. I wont run the 800 at world champions [her husband/coach also stated that she wouldn't double 1500/5000].

Regarding the 800/1500 double "It's nice to have beaten something that has been around longer that I have. Marla is an inspiration. Obviously she's a hard worker and takes good care of herself. Hopefully she can take this event to the next level."

Elva Dryer, 3rd place
"I had a pretty solid race. Had I gone a little earlier, I might have beaten Regina. I would have been closer to Marla. I'm thinking about moving up to the 10,000. My strength is my strength. I think I will run one 10,000 next year."