Athlete Quotes - USA vs. the World at the Penn Relays

Held: April 30, 2005 at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA

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Women's 4x100m - USA Red 42.68 seconds, 2005 World Leader

Angela Daigle, 1st leg: My leg [first leg] felt pretty good. It was kind of cold out there, but I felt really strong coming out of the turn. Lauryn took it from there. ... [After winning the U.S. indoor title and the Visa Championship this winter] My confidence grows with every race I run. Each is a building point."

Lauryn Williams, 2nd leg: I was really excited coming out here today. When I got the baton, it wasn't quite the way I expected it to go down, but I just ran as fast as I could... I definitely was really excited when I looked at the clock. It's pretty near what we were running last year. We put [the Olympics] behind us and are looking forward to great things.

Inger Miller, 3rd leg: I think this is my ninth Penn Relays, and it's always exciting. The hype going down is just exciting. This is my third relay of the season, and each week is getting better for me. This is my best leg so far, but my worst handoff.

LaTasha Colander, anchor leg: We have an awesome relay here. We were really hyped, and the crowd was phenomenal. We should have more meets like this in the U.S. The Penn Relays has been a boost to the U.S. ... I feel really good about this relay. This is a boost for our confidence. Angela Daigle ran such a good first leg, and Superwoman [Williams] did her thing.

Men's 4x100m, USA Blue, 38.58 seconds

Coby Miller, 1st leg: It was my first time popping [leading] off. I was excited to see the USA girls win. My goal was to get the stick to Leonard as fast as I could. Leonard did his thing, Shawn ran a great curve and Justin definitely did his thing.

Leonard Scott, 2nd leg: For me, the experience within itself of running with some of the greatest to ever do it was terrific. ... We wanted to move the stick and get it around. This is a great start for all of us. When we step on the track, we want to win. You represent the USA and the USA is all about winning. That's what we want to do.

Shawn Crawford, 3rd leg: I felt like the handoff was good, but I wasn't too pleased with my run. I didn't hear Leonard call "stick" the first time, so I was slow getting out. [On his pink spikes]: They asked me what color I wanted and I said, 'give me some pink panthers.' They work the same as the blue ones or the silver ones.

Justin Gatlin, anchor leg: The crowd was hooting and hollering before the girls even got into the blocks. It really motivated me. [On coming from behind]: They told me I was between five and seven meters behind. Somebody like J.J. [Johnson, USA Blue anchor] and his stride pattern, if you see what he did in 2003 [when he came from behind to anchor Team USA to gold at the World Championships], I had my work cut out for me. I had confidence in my team and confidence in myself. I was just proud to win. This is my first race on the track this year. I think I gt the tone set and a piece of confidence in my pocket. [On the cheers for Jamaica, and displaying his USA jersey after the win]: I'm proud to be an American. I felt like of in the den of the enemy out there.

Women's Sprint Medley Relay - 3:37.42 WORLD BEST [fastest ever run]

Allyson Felix, 1st leg (200m): It was a busy day [Felix ran the sprint medley for USA red and 4x400 for USA Blue]. The Penn Relays is an event you can come to and have a lot of fun. It was cool. The sprint medley is not an event you get to run much.

Kia Davis, 2nd leg (200m): As soon as I finished my 200, I had to get ready for the 4x400 [on USA Blue]. But it feels good. The stick was wet - everything was wet.

Hazel Clark, anchor (800m): I got in a little bit of trouble with my coach, my brother [J.J. Clark] because I went out way too fast, in 56 seconds. I shouldn't have been able to finish. [On holding off Jamaica to win]: It took guts - just pride in my country and pride in my team. I told myself to dig and stay cool. I knew they were coming. But I still ran a really good split [2:00] even though I went out too hard. I was excited. I went out kind of crazy and paid for it. ... It is so, so exciting to get a world record. They are hard to come by. It was a really great experience because I'm from close to here [South Orange, N.J.] and my family and friends were here. The fans were helping me out. They woke me up a little bit.

Men's Sprint Medley Relay - 3:12.10

Leo Bookman, 1st leg (200m): The handoff was a little shaky. The baton was wet. It feels so good have my first win at an international meet.

Kaaron Conwright, 2nd leg (200m): We weren't able to practice our handoffs yesterday, so we were going on blind faith.

Khadevis Robinson, anchor, (800m): I'm really proud to be able to run so well. Everybody gave their hearts out. It was wet in all eight lanes. ... We're professionals and we had a job we knew that to be done. The difference between the Penn Relays and something like the World Championships is that I heard "USA! USA! USA!" the entire race, both laps. Every time I was getting tired, I heard "USA" and kept going. You could certainly feel the vibe and the positive energy. ... This year, I'm trying to focus on being more fearless. I knew I wanted to push the pace, because guys don't want to have to go out hard in the wet and cold. I really wanted a Penn Relays watch. I'm very excited to be able to go out and do it with the USA guys. I'm gonna wear it [the watch] even if the time is wrong.

Women's 4x400m, 3:22.93, 2005 World Leader

Dee Dee Trotter, 1st leg: Today was an interesting day. I was looking to go out hard. It was a pretty decent race - I was in a decent position. It felt great to run together again.

LaShinda Demus, 2nd leg: I didn't get too excited. I was running to stay in position and it helped me run stronger. Running with the gold medal relay team was exciting. I was running for a spot [on Team USA's 4x400m relay in Helsinki].

Sanya Richards, 3rd leg: The conditions weren't great. I knew I'd have to run well to give Monique a comfortable lead. I think it's phenomenal how we get together and run so well. The Russians have strong individuals but we always come together and run well as a team.

Monique Hennagan, anchor: They did their job, which made my job easier. I knew they gave me a good lead, and I was strong enough to hold anybody off.

Men's 4x400m, JAM 3:02.63

Michael Blackwood, 1st leg: I tried to get out at a good pace the first 200 meters. I get pumped up just before the race. I appreciate the support we get from the crowd.

Sanjay Ayre, 2nd leg: I was going out to try to pass Tyree and got spiked when he fell. We've been trying to beat the U.S. for a long time. I'm just glad to be a part of it. If Tyree didn't fall, it would have been a very interesting race. It's very unfortunate he went down.

Davian Clarke, anchor: It was a great atmosphere this weekend. The warmth we felt from the crowd motivated us. ... This is a first for me. I've been coming here ever since I was in high school in 1991, and this is my first win, first watch. I'm really excited. ... A lot of people in the stands are old track guys who used to run back in the day. And in New York, up north, they've got lots of immigrants who come down for Penn. To see Jamaica run in the U.S. is a great privilege. It's the only chance they get to see us in the U.S. The Penn Relays is a big competition. The biggest competition in Jamaica is the boys and girls high school championships.

Leonard Byrd, anchor, USA Blue (2nd, 3:03.08): When I got the stick, I was almost next-to-last. My main focus was to win the race, to go out hard and catch up to the group. I had to go on the outside on the curve so I had to run farther.

On Tyree Washington falling: I was kind of shocked. Once I saw it, I had to try to hold it together.