Athlete Quotes from the Millrose Games 2.3.2006

Athlete quotes, 99th Millrose Games

Tim Seaman, Men's 1 mile race walk (U.S. championship event), 5:47.59: "Today I just missed my PR, but got a championship. Growing up, there was no bigger meet than the MIllrose Games. For me, it's great to come home and support the New York Athletic Club and compete in front of the hometown fans. I'm very pleased with my time. The amount of training we're doing, we're not doing speedwork - only using races as our speedwork. It's very, very good." Danielle Tauro, Southern Regional, girls' high school mile, 4:51.89. NOTE: First New Jersey athlete to win girls' HS mile: "To be honest, I didn't' think I was going to get that [the win]. I got a good start, but I didn't really want to get in the lead so I just let them go. Every lap that went by, it seemed like more people were passing me. At the half-way or ¾ mark, that's when Aislinn Ryan tried to make her move. But I kept surging each time she tried to pass me. Going into the last lap, it was me and Aislinn pushing each other, so that pushed me to catch up to Lindsey [Ferguson]. I made contact with them. With a half lap to go ... I could see the tape and I was just running. 'Get there, get there, don't let anybody pass you!' It happened, I can't believe it. I won it - it's insane! [On working with Aislinn Ryan during the race]: it was bringing us closer to the leaders. We were reeling them in. going into the last lap, we caught them. It was so exciting. I was confident, but I wasn't over-confident. I knew everybody wanted to win, but I wanted to win as well ... Last year when I was in Madison Square Garden, I looked up and I was about to cry, I was so nervous. But this year I was more comfortable." Chaunte Howard, women's high jump, 6-4: I'm really excited. This year I'm a lot farther than I have at any other point. And I actually started training later than other years. It's taken. If I didn't jump last week, this would have been a PR. [On jumping at Millrose]: I loved it. I was a little nervous at first - my roommate they told me they had a wooden track. When I was in high school I had a run-in with a wooden track and broke my arm. [On what she's working on in 2006] The main thing I'm doing wrong is I'm leaning into the bar. Once I get that down, I'll be set. [On her attempts at a meet record 6-5] All three of them were good, so I'm not discouraged. It did the opposite. [On being the World Outdoor Championships silver medalist]: I know that I have a big target on my back, especially over here. I can't get too confident because I know all the top jumpers are there at the same level." Khadevis Robinson, men's 800 meters, 1:49.98. Coming into the race, I wanted to run a strong race in the beginning. Last year and the year before that, I never got into a rhythm. This year it was important for me to find my pace. I was able to maintain my rhythm. I didn't know where anyone was at until the end. I could feel David coming up. This year I'm more confident in my finish, so I was confident that I could hold on. I really focused on myself and kick I moved to the outside a little bit, because leading the entire way takes something out of my race. You're supposed to lean out a little bit to make them run extra meters. So I made sure I d that and made sure I was running strong. This is one of the only races I hadn't won in the U.S. I'm not particularly fond of indoors, so winning this race is a big deal for me. Joanna Hayes, winner women's hurdles, 7.93 seconds: "My start was pretty bad. After I false started, I had to sit and hold. After the second hurdle, I started to get a little groove. That's why I wanted to run indoors, to work on my start. My lead leg felt a little long, like I held it a little long. My speed is coming. It was a pretty decent time. I was hoping for faster, but I'll go home and study my form. But overall, I'm pretty satisfied." Gail Devers, 4th women's hurdles, 8.13 seconds, at press conference with her daughter, Karsen Anise, born June 20, 2005, weighing 7 lbs, 9 oz.: [On the baby's birth]: "She didn't want to come out and I had to have an emergency C-section. I heard everybody said I retired, but I didn't retire. My husband [Mike] and I decided that after the [Olympic] Games we were going to start our family and we did. I had a great pregnancy and I said OK I'm going to come back. Because of the C-section I waited 6 months before I started training. This race was just feeling my way through. I'm 39, but I'm not over the hill yet. To be honest, the one title I didn't have was motherhood. And that's what I wanted. I didn't even start showing until 7 months, so it was easy to lose the weight. Then it was just a matter of trying not to force the issue of getting over a hurdle. You just don't know what you're getting into. With the emergency C section, I didn't want to come back too soon. I am blessed to be back, I'm blessed to have a healthy baby. I've probably been away from her probably 9 hours her whole life. We get to practice and we warm up with her in her stroller. Everything I'm doing is to show her." Dominique Arnold, winner men's 60m hurdles, 7.59 seconds: "I was very nervous. It was my [second] race this year. I ran an all-comer's race last week, and [world decathlon champion] Bryan Clay really put it on for the first three hurdles. Luckily I was able to pull it out tonight against some real tough competition. This is my second time here in New York, so I'm 2-for-2, so that was good. I'm not hurdling that well right now. Luckily tonight it came out OK. It's amazing that we're in New York, they still pack out this place for an indoor track meet. In the Big Apple, they love sports no matter what. [On drawing prior to races]: It's how I relax. My favorite artists are Norman Rockwell, Picasso, the guy who draws 'Spawn.' I've been drawing since first grade. I started drawing before my races since 2000. I start about 4 hours out, lying on my back with my feet up in the air." Veronica Campbell, winner adidas women's 60m (7.10): I didn't get the start I wanted. I was hesitant at the start, but I am very pleased to win. I'm very confident. The lord has blessed me so much. I was just trying to catch up with the field. I realized Lisa was way ahead. Lisa Barber, 2nd adidas women's 60m (7.10): I knew this race was going to be very competitive. I had a good start, and I guess I didn't finish that well, but it was a great race between all of us. At the very end, me and Veronica hit hands, so I knew it was very close. Lauryn Williams, 3rd adidas women's 60m (7.19): I've got to work on my start, to say the least. I don't make excuses. It wasn't a perfect 10. I think it wasn't even five or above. Once I get above a five, it will be better. I've been doing great times in practice. Last week I closed the gap pretty good after a bad start, and 7.19 after a start like that is a pretty good time. After I put the whole thing together, I think I'm going to run pretty fast. I'm inconsistent. Shawn Crawford, winner Hershey's men's 60m (6.59): I felt pretty good, coming back off of an injury last year. I was kind of nervous at first, with it being my first race back. I was able to pull off the win, so any time you're able to win a meet, it's good. [On his injury] It was inflammation in the nerves and tendons around the second metatarsals in both of my feet. I've always been confident. If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. I've always considered myself to be a 100-meter runner. To be honest with you, gold medals aren't what drives me. I'm more driven by breaking world records. I like to get things done in the 100 just to prove to people I'm a sprinter, not just a 200-meter runner. I've been concentrating on 60 meters indoors to help transition to 100 and 200 outdoors. My goals are to come out and run consistent. I'd like to break my personal bests and come back and be injury free, do better than last year. Reese Hoffa, winner Visa men's shot put: My corporate sponsor is here - NYAC is one of my sponsors, so it's great to be in New York. I'm extremely charged up. The crowd, it's right on you. At Boston we weren't quite throwing to the standards of last year, but I think I'm coming into form. The goal is to hold onto that for U.S. indoors. For me, it's incredible. [On being the Visa Championship Series leader]: It's pretty awesome, you get a nice gold bib, which makes you feel special. You go for the gold, and you've got the gold bib. The $25,000 would be nice to hopefully get me through the 2008 Olympics. With the way Adam was throwing, I thought get it out there near 70 feet, and I'll have a chance." Jeff Hartwig, winner Fred Schmertz men's pole vault, 5.73m/18-9.75: I think more than anything it goes back to my training. I quit listening to everybody who was telling me I was getting older. I matured physically really late. As a result of that I wasn't as hard on my body when I was young as much as the superstars. I was one who got a lot of results from training hard. Obviously that's a major concern. A major injury at this point could be career-ending. But at the beginning of the fall, I thought it's do or die time. It meant hitting the weight room harder, running more. But I knew if I put that work in, I'd jump well. [On Millrose]: I sort of feel like when you come here you've got to bring your A game. So many great vaulters here have competed in the past. Carmen Douma Hussar, winner women's mile, 4:35.64.: "It was kind of rough out there. Courtney apologized afterwards. It was nothing on purpose. It's the nature of the game. I was just happy to recover. When something like that happens you just try to recover and get back in the game. It just takes that spit second to get back." LaShawn Merritt, winner men's 500 meters, 1:03.38: "Being that there were only four people and it was a tight track, I knew everybody was trying to get to the break first. I let Bershawn get to the break, and I rode him until I saw he was fading a little bit. I just had to hold my ground. When I took the lead, I tried not to let anybody pass me. When I was warming up, everybody was saying let's just try to get through. Everybody came out and tried to run as well as they could. It was a great crowd. I love the crowd. The only thing is, with me being 6-3, it was tough on the track. Dan McManamon, winner high school mile 4:17.18: "My goal was just to get out and be second or third the entire way so I didn't have to deal with traffic. With four or five laps to go, Greg Kelsey went by. I didn't really panic because I knew I had a really good kick. The last lap, Greg Kiley came up on me. I didn't let him pass and I tried to dictate the last lap. I really went with the race plan I wanted to. Bernard Lagat, winner Wanamaker Mile, 3:56.85: Today's race was a tough one. This is my first one back [in 2006]. I missed a few days of training the last few weeks, and that was not my intention to do that. My coach kept on pushing me, because I had to be in shape to be here. So coming into today, I followed the pace. It's not always easy when it's your first competition and you're going to run 1:53 for the first 800. I kept on pushing until the end. And I'm happy that I won today. ... the intention was to run the same as last year. Three laps into the race is when the race developed. If I open up early enough, I will keep on maintaining the same pace until the end of the race. The first 800 was quite fast. Kenenisa Bekele, 2nd Wanamaker Mile, 4:01.57: It was a great race. I know the mile is a very tough race. This is my first race at a short distance, so it is for me a difficult race. I had never raced under 3,000 meters, so this is a very tough race for me. Maybe for the future, it gives me confidence to improve. ... The beginning was very fast, 55 flat. I am not disappointed. It's my first time in the mile and it's my first race in 2006.