London 2018: Flash Interviews (PDF)
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IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE London (GBR) 21st - 22nd July 2018 Flash Quotes TIMING, RESULTS SERVICE & DISTANCE MEASUREMENT BY Dwayne COWAN (GBR) 400m Men National - 1st (45.65 SB) Hopefully there is an individual spot left. I am happy with the race today. Martyn and I are quite similar at the moment. I've been injured all season, so hopefully I can finish the year off strongly. I love this stadium - I always run fast here. 21/07/2018 12:43 Martyn ROONEY (GBR) 400m Men National - 2nd (46.11) I have a bye as the defending champion so hopefully I'll be selected for Europeans. I thought the run was disappointing. I thought coming here I'd run a 45 second low time but it's just not happening. We'll wait and see what the championships bring, it's just about hard training between now and then. 21/07/2018 12:44 Tom BOSWORTH (GBR) 3000m Race Walk Men - 1st (10:43.9) PB, WR, WL It was a shock to do that. I've just come back from altitude training but I still wanted to see what I could do and this is all heading in the right direction for the Europeans. Coming to the London Stadium changes everything for me. Usually I'm on the road and race walking isn't included in the Diamond League very often. I thought there was going to be trouble if I got beaten but I knew the crowd would push me home in that world class field. He was fourth in London last year and I knew it was going to take a PB to win. I use the shorter races to prepare for the 20km races. 21/07/2018 13:26 INTERNET Service: london.diamondleague.com Page 1of29 printed at 22/07/2018 17:41 IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE London (GBR) 21st - 22nd July 2018 Flash Quotes Lebogang SHANGE (RSA) 3000m Race Walk Men - 2nd (10:47.1) PB I came here to do a job and I did that but Tom was so good today. I'm very happy for him and I'm very happy with my time but it was Tom's day. I thought I could have caught him. I'm back at the home of my personal best and it's such a good place for me to be. 21/07/2018 13:30 Callum WILKINSON (GBR) 3rd (11:13.8) SB I'm pleased with my place. I went quicker indoors in Glasgow where I got inside the 10:52 barrier, but I finished third and level with my outdoor PB so I am pleased. I am just trying to prepare for the Europeans, it has been a bit hit and miss, so to come out and finish third in a world-class field I will take that. I have just got to stay patient it's about the long-term, but I want to always be the best I can be now. 21/07/2018 13:31 Elizabeth CLEGG (GBR) T11 200m Women - 1st (25.29) SB I am really happy to be back competing on an international stage and there's nowhere better than to do it here in the London Stadium. Obviously, I have got a new guide, he's only been doing it for two weeks. It's great to be back and it gives me a lot of confidence to go forward with now. Last year was a really tough year for me. Obviously, Chris' Achilles went in January and I struggled with mental health last year. For me, I think, it's just been a great confidence booster and I now know I want to go on to Tokyo. It really makes me feel like I can progress and move forward. 21/07/2018 13:40 INTERNET Service: london.diamondleague.com Page 2of29 printed at 22/07/2018 17:41 IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE London (GBR) 21st - 22nd July 2018 Flash Quotes Lilian Kasait RENGERUK (KEN) 3000m Women - 1st (8:41.51) I'm very happy to have good health and to win in London. I'd like to thank God for helping me to the victory today and I hope this will continue throughout the rest of season. 21/07/2018 13:46 Melissa COURTNEY (GBR) 3000m Women - 5th (8:46.33) It's my second quickest time ever so I can't complain too much. The pace was actually quite slow through 2k, quite a bit further down on what we expected, and then in the last kilometre my legs just kind of went. It's been such a long process. I have been running since I was 12 and I didn't make my first international appearance until the end of under-23s, so it has been a really long process, but I have finally feel like this year I have made a name for myself. 21/07/2018 13:50 Richard WHITEHEAD (GBR) T61 200m Men - 2nd (23.72) SB This was my first 200 metres this year. I had a lot of lactic in my legs and I think I am carrying that from the 400. For me, it is about continuing what I am doing. I have still got aspirations to win gold in Tokyo and it's just about all of us pushing each other on. This is why the T61 class is so important, you have got athletes such as Ntando (Mahlangu), Dave (Henson), (Regas) Woods and myself wanting to push on the sport, and we want to inspire young athletes all over the world. The Muller Anniversary Games really embraces Para sport and the sprinkle of Paralympic sport really does make a difference. The messages I get after competing at an event like this really inspires me to keep going. 21/07/2018 13:58 INTERNET Service: london.diamondleague.com Page 3of29 printed at 22/07/2018 17:41 IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE London (GBR) 21st - 22nd July 2018 Flash Quotes Ntando MAHLANGU (RSA) T61 200m Men - 1st (23.56) It was a nice race. I went to work on my starts after last season racing in England and today it's about having fun out there and I did enjoy racing Richard Whitehead. It's not about who is fastest it's about who has the most energy and can hold it. From last year I had the speed but now I'm working on my power and I'm working to keep my blades in the lane and it's a huge help for me. I feel no pressure but I hope young stars come out from all over the world. In Africa we have a project working with youngsters to do that and I'm setting my sights on Tokyo and I want to take over what Richard has already achieved in the sport. 21/07/2018 14:00 Stef REID (GBR) T44/47/64 Long Jump Women - 1st (5.55m) SB It was awesome. It was exactly what I needed. It's really not been a super season for me yet and it has been frustrating because I felt like training was going really well and my coach felt like my training was going really, really well, but you then have to face the reality of the results being just no good. It's a hard decision between 'well, do we believe in what we are doing and at some point we are going to get the results', or do we think 'this isn't working we need to change'. We just stuck it out and I am really proud of that series and now I am really pumped for Berlin. Just walking into this stadium everytime is something quite special and there is just something about this stadium and this audience which makes you so excited to be here and the crowd just build a great performance out of you. It was actually so much fun competing on the raised long jump pit. 21/07/2018 14:09 INTERNET Service: london.diamondleague.com Page 4of29 printed at 22/07/2018 17:41 IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE London (GBR) 21st - 22nd July 2018 Flash Quotes Janieve RUSSELL (JAM) 400m Hurdles Women - 2nd (53.96) It was a really good race because I lost that way in Lausanne and I wanted to get my dip right and I'm really pleased with the time. I didn't expect to be as consistent as I have been which is very pleasing but this is close to perfect for me. I have to listen to my coach to get to perfect and I have to be race smart. My next competitive race will be in Canada before the Diamond League finals. 21/07/2018 14:15 Eilidh DOYLE (GBR) 400m Hurdles Women - 7th (56.18) It's nice to be back, but obviously I would like to run quicker than that. We knew today was going to be tough, we didn't really know what I was going to run. It wasn't a great race, it was a bit messy, but we will take some information from it and go forward and see what this means for the Europeans. It was nerve-wracking because that was a world-class field, so I kind of threw myself into the deep end. It was tough, it was nerve-wracking , but I have done it now. And if you can put yourself up against those girls and not be in the best shape, then you shouldn't have any fear about any other races.