Monday p.m. session Team USA quotes

08-24-2004

Contact:
Jill Geer
Director of Communications
USA Track & Field
317-261-0478 x360

WOMEN'S 100 HURDLES FINAL
Joanna Hayes (Los Angeles, Calif.) gold medalist with Olympic record 12.37: "I'm just so excited. I planned on winning. I told myself, stay in your lane, stay focused. Bobby [Kersee, her coach] said, go in fast and clean. I hit a couple of hurdles but I kept my focus. I just knew it. I said to myself, I wouldn't lose. I can't lose."

On her Olympic record time: "That's the time I wanted. I emailed a friend before the race and said, '12.37.'"

On Perdita Felicien falling: "I got out really well. I don't think anybody was going to beat me anyway."

On running the 100 instead of 400 hurdles: "I train for them both. I tried to run both at U.S. nationals last year, but the races were too close together. A month before the [Olympic] Trials, I told Bobby I wanted to train for one. I was working really hard."

On being only the second American to win gold in the event: "I thought about that before the race. I wanted to be the one to bring the gold medal back to the U.S."

On teammate Melissa Morrison earning bronze medal: "I'm so happy she got a medal. I wish it was silver, but I'm glad she got the bronze."

Melissa Morrison (Columbia, S.C.), bronze medalist in 12.56: "It's been a fight for the last four years since a medal in 2000 in Sydney. I just hung in there mentally and came out on top. To me I came out on top because I'm the only person in the world that can say I have a bronze medal in the 100 meter hurdles from the 2004 Olympic Games. I accomplished something here today whether it was the gold, silver or bronze.

"I would love to have a gold medal but it wasn't meant to be today, but you know what? I have a bronze medal and nobody can take that away from me."

"No, I didn't see what happened to [world champion Perdita Felicien]. That's a part of me, the mentally tough aspect that you need. You need to focus on what's going on in your lane and you're not aware of what's going on in anyone else's lane. I really had a good start, but it just did not really come together. To crash two hurdles in a race like that and still finish third I can only be happy."

DECATHLON FINAL

Bryan Clay (Azusa, Calif.), silver medallist with personal best 8,820 points: "It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm pumped. I remember sitting down and watching people like Dan O'Brien, Dave Johnson and Chris Huffins put up huge scores at the Olympic Games and run around with the flag. I get goose bumps watching. Now I know I just surpassed most of them. I don't know what to tell you. It's just unbelievable."

On his approach to running the 1,500: "My coach told me, go out and do what you've been doing the last year in training. I felt like I left lots of points on the track in Sacramento [in the 1,500]."

On being under-rated: "I think people kind of take me for granted or don't give me enough credit sometimes. I don't know if it's my personality, my size ... I've never been in the limelight, but it doesn't bother me because I've always known what I could do."

On growing up in Hawaii: "I hope that people now know that here is more in Hawaii than surfers and people running around on the beach all the time."

Paul Terek (Livonia, Mich.), who was 21st with 7,893 points: "In this competition, every little point counts. This has been an experience for me. I didn't run a good 1500 and I'm a little disappointed there. Hopefully, this won't be a once in a lifetime experience for me. It's going to take a lot of hard work on my part, but Beijing starts tomorrow."

WOMEN'S 400 FINAL
Monique Hennagan (Stockbridge, Calif.), fourth in :49.97: "I kind of got out of my race plan a little bit. I'm really happy because I've come a long way, but I was right there so it kind of hurts. Close but no cigar. I'm happy, I can't complain, I've had a wonderful season it just wasn't meant to be.

"I felt good, I really did. Maybe I got a little bit out of my race and started running someone else's race. I was trying to stay relaxed and trying to make up some ground but it wasn't enough"

DeeDee Trotter (Knoxville, Tenn.), fifth in personal best :50.00: " I ran a personal best out of lane No.1 and that's not bad. I'm not disappointed at all. It's not my time, but my time is coming."

"I feel pretty good about the race. I did the best I could do out of lane one.It's a tough lane, but you had to work with it. I think I did well from lane one.

"They're not going to like me in four years.

"It's not going to be nice. Because I'm coming back with a vengeance. I guarantee you I won't have Lane one."

Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas), sixth in :50.19: "I gave it my best shot and the whole thing has been amazing for me. I still have the relay, too. I'm looking at this as a positive, but I know I could have come faster. I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm not going to cry about it."

MEN'S 3,000 STEEPLECHASE FINAL
Daniel Lincoln (Fayetteville, Ark.), 11th in 8:16.86: "It was a typical steeplechase, you start hurting with two laps to go. It was a decent race for me. It was a good experience. The Kenyans ran with confidence, ran together and completed their mission. You have to hand it to them. It didn't quite execute my goals. I was looking at this race as a standard for my season. I haven't at the top of my game lately. The season's getting later. I'm not used to running this long into the year."


MEN'S 200 ROUND 2

Shawn Crawford (Raleigh, N.C.) winner of heat 1 (19.95):
On what the race was like: "Fast. I just wanted to take first place, take the lead, hold it and get myself a nice lane for the semi's."

"I'm trying to be conservative. Usually, I'm out there trying to be a superman and prove that I'm a true athlete going hard and harder and harder every round when everybody else conserves. I'm going to take it a little easy, I'm going to play this game with these fellas, conservative and then get it all out in the final."

How much more do you want this win now that the 100 is over?" A lot more!"

Bernard Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) winner of heat 2 in 20.40: "My time didn't matter. I just wanted to win the heat and get to the next round."

Justin Gatlin (Raleigh, N.C.) won heat 3 in 20.03: "I feel good. There's a little fatigue in my legs, but I'm working on it 24 hours. Getting ice bags twice a day, eating the right food, getting the right rest, I just want to make sure that I'm technically sound for the 200.

"I just wrapped my medal up and put it in my suitcase that night after the award ceremony and haven't looked at it since. I just put on a new hat, and focus. I'm a new person in the 200, I just want to go out there and run a technically sound race."

"I think a lot of attention's on me and a lot of attention was not on me going into the 100, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to go out there and focus on what I have to do and run a technically sound race.

"I think a lot of people say I'm emulating Carl Lewis in a lot of ways, I hope that I can emulate him in that way.

"I expect a lot from my training partner, Shawn Crawford as well as Asafa Powell (Jamaica) and Francis Obikwelu (Portugal).

WOMEN'S 1,500 ROUND 1

Carrie Tollefson (Edina, Minn.), 6th in heat 1 at 4:06.46, qualified for semis on time: "I needed the last 200 to loosen up and get my legs going. I've had a little break and it is time to get my legs going. [In the] the semis, I'll feel a lot better. I learned from the men's 1500 that people go down, people get bumped and it ruins their race. I've learned how to race over here. I'm having the time of my life over here."



MEN'S 400 HURDLES SEMIFINALS

James Carter (Hampton, Va.)
"I pushed it a little bit over the last three [hurdles] to make sure I get the victory and get a good lane for myself in the finals.

"I will win. Because I want to.

"What I keep in the tank doesn't matter because I've got 48 hours to recover and come back and do it again. That's more than enough for me to recover and come back and run a personal best one more time.

"I just believe in what I've been doing. I just need to stay technical over the last couple of hurdles and push it and I'm confident in being able to get over the last hurdle before anybody.'

"I love it, I love the crowd. I love performing in front of big crowds, I liked it in Sydney and I like it here also."

Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.), 4th in heat 1 in 48.72: "I messed up. I had it, and I messed up."

Bennie Brazell (Baton Rouge, La.), 2nd in heat 2 in 48.19Q: "I'm not finished. I'm happy but I'm not satisfied. I'm still looking for more. I love competition. Where I'm from, at LSU, we love competition. That's what it's all about."


WOMEN'S 200 SEMIFINAL ROUND
Allyson Felix (Santa Clarita, Calif.), 1st in heat 1, 22.36 Q: "I just ran the turn hard. I felt great, but didn't want to go to hard in the semi. It feels like everything is coming together at the right time and I'm excited. I'll probably get a good night's sleep. I'll be a little nervous."

Muna Lee (Baton Rouge, La.), 4th in heat 1 in 22.69 Q: "Not what I wanted to do."

LaShaunte'a Moore (Fayetteville, Ark.), 6th in heat 2 in 22.93, did not qualify: "You can't see anything out of lane eight. You're kind of guessing the whole race. It's a guessing game. It's like running blind race. I had to run as fast as I could and I did. I gave it all I had. I can't complain. This makes me hungry, hit the weights, train harder. I want to be the best."


MEN'S LONG JUMP QUALIFYING ROUND

Dwight Phillips (Mesa, Ariz.), qualified for final in 1st attempt with 8.31m/27-3.25: "That was my goal to come out here today and y get just make it nice and easy, and I did that. So now I get to live and compete on Thursday. I feel great. There's a lot of energy out there, the Olympic stadium is beautiful. I'm just glad to back here to where it originated.

"Going into Sydney I was a young guy, I learned through trial and error so I came out here today and just jumped to qualify. It was a pretty easy mark for me. I'm excited about Thursday.

"I can't wait, I just can't wait to come out here Thursday, and try to beat the world record."

John Moffitt (Baton Rouge, La.), jumped 8.17/26-9.75 to automatically qualify: "It was nice tonight. This is my first time to the Olympics in the long jump. I did qualify, got it on my second jump. I felt good today. I just back and train a little bit, not too hard, and get ready for the finals. We'll see how confident I am when I get there."

Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.), jumped 7.80m/25-7.25, did not qualify: "It wasn't my day. My technique wasn't good again today, just like the triple jump. I was having problems on the runway. I just wasn't technically sound."