Saturday, February 27, 2010 (Albuquerque, N.M) — Quotes courtesy USA Track & Field.
Anna Pierce, women’s 800 meter heat winner
“I wanted a bank, I didn’t even have to do anything so that was pretty nice. I feel good. I think all the altitude training is paying off. I spent most of my time training in Mammoth, I feel like I can deal with the altitude and not get too bogged down.”
Nick Symmonds, men’s 800 meter heat winner
“We all wanted to work together a little bit. I was supposed to take over the lead with 150 to go but it was too fast. I just found a way to work with him. I said last night I don’t anyone is going to run under 1:48 on this track and I think we might have just done that.”
Erica McLain, women’s triple jump winner
“I was cramping on my first jump a little bit. I felt it and knew I had to push through. My first jump ended up being 1cm over what I needed, I watched everyone’s mark and tried to stay as together as I could and it all worked out. I didn’t have much in me afterwards. In the finals I jumped on my first one and cramped, passed on the second and cramped again. I feel pretty good about how the day went. I like the runway, my training is going really well. I haven’t had a US championship title since 2005 outdoor championships and that was my freshman year of college and actually then I was just 1 cm over the standard I needed. I wanted this so bad.”
Allyson Felix, women’s 400 meter heat winner
“I felt a little sluggish, so we will just have to see how it goes. (On feeling the altitude) I felt something. Because of the altitude I’m definitely a little sluggish out there. (On the finals) I think I am going to be in the slower heat. We’ll see I’m not feeling too great going into it, but lets see if my legs can get it together.”
Kerron Clement, men’s 400 meter heat winner
“It went well today. The altitude was a little bit of a factor. It was my first time running at this altitude. The track is a fast track, but it was good.”
Jesse Williams, men’s high jump winner
“It got off to a shaky start with a couple of the lower heights and I was in fourth place when the bar changed to 7′7″. I knew I had to at least make that height to get on the team. I went ahead and made 7′8″. A couple of other guys made it and I knew if I didn’t make 7′8″ I still may have not made the team because I had a couple other early misses. I knew I had to make 7′8″, I made it on the first attempt and I feel really good about it. It was a great competition. I think it was the best competition ever for the USA championships. It was an honor to be a part of and especially to win. I am excited and I really feel that I can get a medal. The Russians have won a lot of things for a long time. Hopefully we can take it to the Russians. I’ve been training very hard. I had an injury (strained tendon on my jumping foot, just below the ankle) and this is only my second meet of the year. I hope I didn’t re-hurt my foot, it’s kind of tender right now and it isn’t feeling too goo d.”
Tim Seaman, men’s 5000 meter race-walk winner
“Today went different. Out of all the 12 championships this is definitely the most topsy turvy race I have ever done. With the altitude you can’t just push, you have push and then rest. Once I’ve taken the lead I have never let it up. This is the first time that I let the lead up. I was frustrated that I took it out so slow. I told myself ‘Ok, I’m going to take it,’ and I pushed too hard and I had to slow down. It felt like my lungs were burning and I spent three weeks at altitude so I can only imagine how these other guys how bad they felt. This is my 43rd win overall, so it moves me into No. 2 all-time track and field national championship wins. This was my 12th win in indoor, which is the most by any athlete in any event in track and field history.”
Amber Campbell, women’s weight throw winner
“This hands down was one of the best series ever. It felt great, the crowd was amazing, the ball was just flying. It felt amazing. (how it felt to open with the her best throw) Fantastic. You can never complain about opening up with your best throw ever. I was trying to focus on the things we have been working on in practice. It was mechanical. I was trying to hit the things that I have been working on, it was very step one, step two, step three. I guess I should do it like that all the time. (on her homecoming) My god parents are here and my uncle, I haven’t seen them in years. It really is like coming home.”
Tim Mack, men’s pole vault winner
“It means a lot. I am still fired up. This is the highest I have jumped in indoors in six years. I felt really good coming into the meet. (competition with the other gold medaler) We are actually really good friends, we helped each other out a lot. But a lot of time during competition I have too much to worry about than to think about other people. I was competing against the event really.”
Chaunte Howard Lowe, women’s high jump winner
“This hit my outdoor personal record (PR) but indoor yes that is the closest I have ever come to it. I knew I was over it, I felt it. Maybe I got lazy at the end but I didn’t feel like I touched the bar or anything so when it came down it shocked me. But I was happy to be able to get that much height over it. This is the best I have ever jumped this early in the season. My indoor PR last year was 195, this is by far the best. It’s really exciting because I haven’t PRed since I had my daughter, and she is two and a half now. This is huge for me. When I saw the bar fall, I was excited because I got that high, but it felt like everything had slipped through my fingers. That would have been a good mark for the Visa Series.”
Bernard Lagat, men’s 3000 meter winner
“I didn’t know how I was going to feel with the altitude. I actually didn’t feel anything after about five laps. I just wanted to have fun. I was running on the inside. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on who was going to make a move. I just wanted to win and make the team. I wanted to maintain the lead. I wanted to make sure I was going to be number one. I wanted to win and make the team. That is what I came here for.”
Renee Metivier Baillie, Women’s 3000 meter winner
“Coach might be mad at me I was supposed to wait five laps and then take off. I could just tell that everyone was putting on the breaks and I thought screw it I’m going to go. I had a really good workout on Tuesday so I had the confidence to continue. In a race situation you don’t always know what to do so I just went with my gut. I never quite knew how far the gap was, I was just focused on myself. I had to stay in the moment each lap by lap. I know I have a good kick and as soon as I hit the last lap I knew I was going to give it a run. I didn’t know what was going to happen but you have to be confident in yourself whether you win or lose.”
A.G. Kruger, men’s weight throw winner
“I had a lot of fun this year. I trained to throw far. I knew I was capable so I just came out here and threw. The tenth best throw ever. It was great.”
Lawrence Willis, men’s triple jump winner
“The competition was great. Jumping against the regining champion, I knew I had to put up a good mark. It’s…I don’t even know what to say. After taking a year off, with all the support from my family and friends, this just feels great.”
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