USA Team quotes from the Olympics

Men's shot put final

Adam Nelson (Charlottesville, Va.): "I'm not going to make any excuses. It's inexcusable. This is what I do for a living. To not make a final after seven years of making finals, it's inexcusable. I was just off today. It was unfortunate. Ultimately I did my best. I was really lucky to make the final and make the second round of qualifying."

Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.): I just wasn't executing. I didn't do what I needed to do to get on the podium. I would have loved to have moved higher in the placings but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.): I'm a little torn right now. 21.51 (meters) is not that good. I would have liked a couple more throws. My last throw was my best throw and I'll take it. We're (the Americans) so good, there really was no pressure. When my last mark came up silver I was happy.

I feel gut shot right now to be honest with you. It was doable. On a hard day, I guess I'll take silver. It was a hard day for everyone. The kid from Poland found a way to get it done. My hat is off to him, he won it. I didn't do my job, none of the Americans did their job. I'll take the silver home. We've got a lot of work to do.

Women's 10,000m final

Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.): I was in such a zone. My coach said to fall asleep for a couple laps and then give it go. I ran my hardest and tried to give it my best. I was just running so within myself trying to stay calm.

Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.): My pace was quick and I started to get hot and I made a major mistake. I let that be my excuse.

Amy Yoder-Begley (Beaverton, Ore.): The three of us came from similar backgrounds. We all see how hard we all work. It's very encouraging for us. I had 13 people in the stands (cheering me on). I would like to drift into the marathon. If I can stay healthy for a year, I definitely will do a marathon.

Men's 1500m, 1st round

Leonel Manzano (Austin, Texas): "That was the best race of my life. I went out and ran my heart out. I gave it two really good shots to get out front. On the second they just ran by me. When you get here those are the guys to beat. It's really tough when you're competing against the best of the best. I can't really say I'm disappointed, I ran the best time of my life."

Bernard Lagat (Tuscon, Ariz.): "I wanted to make sure I was in good position. At the bell, I was in really good position. I had to kick from outside. At 200, I was in. I had to kick again from the outside. That's something I'm going to avoid in the semifinals. It's not that I'm going to try, I'm going to have to avoid it. I ran the way I wanted. The pace was a little slow. "

Lopez Lomong (Colorado Springs, Colo.): "I just had to go out there and get my feet wet again. I had to go out there and secure a spot. Now I'm moving to the next line, step by step. My country has given me a lot of support. It was my first race and now I know how to tackle it. You go out there and tackle it and keep going. It's a little different race for me."

Men's 100m 2nd round

Tyson Gay (Lexington, Ky.): "I felt good. I felt pretty relaxed. I just wanted to make it through to the next round. Yes, my leg felt alright."

Darvis Patton (Ft. Worth, Texas): "I just advanced. I don't care if I ran at the end or at the beginning. It's all about advancing. Anybody in a track meet can beat anybody at any time."

Women's Discus qualifying

Aretha Thurmond (Federal Way, Washington): "It was a very good day. I had some great warm-ups that got me comfortable with the ring. I did it (qualified) on my second throw. It was a decent throw, it keeps me alive. That was the goal. Now we can get our eyes on the podium."

Stephanie Brown-Trafton (Galt, Calif.): "Today was an awesome day. It was a rough start, but I told myself to relax. The third round was great. Once I made it to the final I was good. Anything can happen in the final. I'm really glad to get out of the first round and make it to the final. I just have to relax. I'm going to get great experience and hopefully a medal."

Suzy Powell-Roos (Modesto, Calif.): "It's disappointing. 61.50 is not a terribly difficult qualifying mark, so not to make it tonight was tough. I'll go back and take a shower and soak it in. My margin for error is very small and precise."

Women's 3,000 Steeplechase semifinals

Anna Willard (Ann Arbor, Mich.): "I was just trying my hardest. This year I really wanted to go out and compete. "

Jennifer Barringer (Boulder, Colo.): "I am thrilled. I said last year that I never want to come to an Olympics or a World Championships and not make the finals. I feel like I made good on that promise. I wanted to race for of running another one."

Lindsay Anderson (Ogden, Utah): "I was definitely going for place. It went out fast like I expected. I just wasn't able to fill that gap. After the first few laps, my breathing felt fine. My legs just weren't there. I think it's about 155 degrees hotter in the stadium than it is outside and I wasn't expecting that. ... I might take a break, start a family. I'm just as excited to start a family as I am to compete."

Men's 400m hurdles quarterfinals

Bershawn Jackson (Raleigh, N.C.): "It felt great. The first round is the hardest but I got through. There's two more to go."

Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.): "I just worked on my race plan. I got out well. I worked the curve. When I came off the curve I said, 'Oh my goodness, I don't see anybody'. I looked back and saw I had a huge lead and I cruised right in. I'm concentrating on running one race. I've been hitting my splits."

Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.): I just wanted to control the race and that's what I did from start to finish. I'm in the best shape of my life right now.

It's my first Olympics and I ran very good. Now I just have to focus on the next round.

Women's triple jump qualifying

Shani Marks (Brooklyn Park, Minn.): It just wasn't my day. The experience has been wonderful, today wasn't.

Erica McLain (Plano, Texas): I tore my hamstring (high grade tear) on July 20 and I guess I just didn't have enough time to recover. I came out here and gave it my all. This is the Olympics.