Athlete Quotes - Women’s 400M Prelims

Sanya Richards – Winner Women’s 400M (Heat 1)
 
On her prelim race:
“I always say that the first round is kind of the hardest one. I just wanted to do enough to win so I was happy.”
 
On her mindset for this meet:
“I feel really good. My body is feeling great. My training is right where it needs to be. I hope I can do something really special in the final.”
 
Monica Hargrove – Winner Women’s 400M (Heat 2)
 
“I feel pretty good. I was able to run a lot slower than I thought, which is good so I can save energy for tomorrow.”
 
Keisha Baker – Second Place Women’s 400M (Heat 2)
 
On her prelim race:
“I have my plan with my coaches. I have run a lot of 400 meters before so I just wanted to stay calm and run like I have so many times before.”
 
On running at Hayward:
“I was kind of nervous at the start because I have never competed in anything so big before. But being here at home was a big help to me. It was great to hear all the fans supporting me when my name was announced. I knew they were behind me.
 
Natasha Hastings – Winner Women’s 400M (Heat 3)
 
On today’s prelim:
“It went pretty well. I was trying to get to the next round by using as little energy as possible. Glad to be done with day one.”
 
On her goals for the rest of the meet:
“Right now it’s just make it to the next round and focus on getting top three after that.”