5000m Press Conference

Kenenisa BEKELE (ETH, 13:17,09 min)

Bernard passed you, and you came back. It was a great race …

"I expected this strong race, Bernard was great in the 1500m, we made the race beautiful. I expected the others would make the pace, but it was okay that I was my own pacemaker. I will never forget this crowd - thanks to you, Berlin."

You made the double again, historic!

"Thank God, he gives me all those gold medals and lets me do that performance. I´m happy for myself and for my country. You see, at these championships, many favourites lost. So that also put pressure on me, but I did it. It´s very special. Now I will stay in Europe maybe I´ll go to the Netherlands, and then to Zurich."

You are the double winner, but the media is just talking about Usain Bolt. Do you think this is fair?

"I´m happy I had a great performance. Bolt is gifted with his distances, but it is very special to win the double. I believe it is correct, two world records in one event is really great. So it´s no problem not to get that attention, he did a lot for our sport."

Bernard LAGAT (USA, 13:17,33min)

"I wanted to defend my title, but every time when Kenenisa is in the race, the race is very strong. I had to battle to the end, the last 300m were tough. Congrats to Kenenisa on being double world champion. I also thought I had a chance to win a double. I gave it my all, and my all won me silver. Kenenisa is focussed, but also one of the most talented athletes, and he makes use of that. He runs 10000m, 5000m and Cross Country. He has to train a lot - so he is a great champion. I would love to dominate like him. Kenenisa will go down in history as one of the greatest athletes."

James Kwalia C´KURUI (QAT, 13:17,78min)

"I´m very happy to win bronze, I did not expect that. I knew there were some faster people than me."

Men's 800m Press Conference

MBULAENI MLAUDZI (South Africa, 1st)

"To lead was part of my plan. I have really battled in the past few championships and the past few races this year. But everything worked out in the last few weeks, I spoke to my coach and my manager and they said that the only way to run a good race was to be in control. So I led and ran a good last 200. That was it for me."

"I've been around for a long time, I'm very happy, very grateful for this gold medal. I've tried often to get a medal for outdoors but I got injuries or I got sick. Today is the most important day in my life.

"Last year we saw (Wilfred) Bungei come in to win the Olympics, and he is not a junior any more! Maybe experience also counts. For me it was a great day and technically my race plan was perfect. That's how I won today."

Descibe your feeling in the victory lap.

"Everybody saw I was very happy, very pumped up. I was very excited the whole victory lap, with the whole crowd cheering."

ALFRED KIRWA YEGO (Kenya, 2nd)

"I'm really happy, it was a big moment in my life. I came as a defending champion. I'm really happy for the silver medal."

YUSUF SAAD KAMEL (Bahrain, 3rd)

"It was a good chance to get more (than bronze) but the guy in top shape tonight was Mlaudzi and my friend Alfred Kirwa. I was thinking he was the rabbit, but he had a lot of energy and I would like to say congratulations. The race was good, the weather perfect."

"I was thinking I was going to win but 800 is tactical race, very tough, too short, one mistake and you cannot recover again. We were boxing each other inside, sometimes if you see a small space and go you can injure guys. I saw space with 100 to go and got out, but the other guy was really strong tonight."

"There is a difference between 800 and 1500. In the 1500 when you make mistake you can still recover in the 800 you cannot. I really like the 800. I'm an 800 runner who tried the 1500."

Women's 1500m press conference

MARYAM JAMAL (Bahrain, 1st)

"The race was not very difficult, though there was a lot of pushing. When Spanish girl pushed past Gelete, that put me off, but I recovered."

"I'm very disappointed that Gelete fell. I'm sure if it had not happened she would have been in the top three. The Spanish girl pushed Gelete down. Had that girl not come through and disturbed race in that way I'm sure I would have won the race."

LISA DOBRISKEY (GB, 2nd)

"Today was a typical championship performance; very, very tactical. It was very, very slow, I just needed to be in the right position. In Beijing I missed the break, maybe because I wasn't confident. I had to make sure I was in position, in control, and I did that pretty well."

On bronze becoming silver:

"It's a bit surreal, to be honest. When I crossed the line in third place I didn't quite know what had happened. When I heard some hostility in the crowd I knew something was wrong. It hasn't sunk in. When I wake up tomorrow it might."

SHANNON ROWBURY (USA, 3rd)

"It's so unfortunate there was a fall and 'dq'. I would much sooner be up here as third across line. There was pushing in all three rounds, I fell in the heat. I did fall short of my goal of being in top three (across the line), but I'm happy to be here now.

Comment on the fall?

"It all happened fast. I saw Burka In the middle of two people, not sure who. Saw her go down and my only thought was to get around that."

Men's 4x400m Press conference

USA (1st: Angelo Taylor, Jeremy Wariner, Kerron Clement, LaShawn Merritt)

"We have the top quarter milers and top relay runners in the world so we came together and got the medal for the US." (Lashwan Merritt)

How did you decide order?

Angelo Taylor: "No-one wanted to pop off, so I was the bunny." Jeremy Wariner: "I was told on the bus I was running second." Kerron Clement: "They said I was running third when we got here."

World record?

(Wariner): The world record is always possible every time we step on the track."

GREAT BRITAIN (2nd: Conrad Williams, Robert Tobin, Michael Bingham, Martin Rooney)

Martin Rooney: "I'm happy with the silver medal. It's the first senior medal for me, and the first for a couple of the guys."

(Michael Bingham): "We've got three good guys, we can beat them (the US, in London 2012)."

What difference has the new head coach made?

(Robert Tobin): "We were fourth in Beijing; we didn't need any more motivation."

AUSTRALIA (3rd: John Steffensen, Ben Offereins, Tristan Thomas, Sean Wroe)

Sean Wroe: "I tried to pass Rooney but he was too big. We're happy to get third. Our team did really well out there."

John Steffensen: "I guess the relay is always special because athletics is such an individual sport. I got a chance to stand on the podium with Jeremy Wariner in 2004 (Australia was Olympic silver medallist).

"When you get a chance to share it's something special. Australians seem to enjoy relays. It's good fun to work with three other guys you don't normally get to work with."

 

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'Hills are speedword in disguise '
Frank Shorter

Bridey Delaney is an Australian junior middle distance runner with a big future. She recently represented the green and gold at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz.

By Bridey Delaney

24/05/2008: Pre-Departure Period Begins

After I had a great finish to the 2007/2008 track season two months prior, it was now time for me to have my first race back on the track. My preparation for the World Junior 1500m has been pretty solid leading up to today. Unfortunately two days ago I learnt my iron-levels were pretty low. I would never have known they were low if the team doctor hadn't asked everyone on the team to get tests done. I had not noticed any change in my energy level. I was actually feeling fitter, but it is funny when you tell people your level their response is "you must feel so tired and exhausted". It's amazing how the mind works. After hearing that a lot of times I started to feel like I was more tired and out of energy.

However, I was lucky to have more ups than downs, that being setting PBs for cross-country over the distances 2km, 3km, 4km and 5km. So I came into the race feeling pretty fit. Still, I could not help feeling nervous about the race and the pressure of achieving 4.26.50, the pre-departure time. Looking back after the race I wondered why I got myself so nervous over the time. I finished 0.05 of a second off my PB, beating the pre-departure time by 5 seconds.

12-14/06/2008: Camp

Raced another 1500m. Bombed out. What went wrong?

21/06/2008: Redeeming Myself

Raced another 1500m time trial PB 4.21.17. Back on track.

30/06/2008: Still on the Gold Coast two days into the trip. Everyone seems to be settled in well and most are pretty pleased with their performances at their last meet before Bydgoszcz. Over the past two days I raced an 800m and 400m to sharpen my speed for the big race. Clocking a near personal best for the 800m, I was disappointed that I was unable to crack the 2.10 mark. However, the 400m the next day turned out to be my highlight of the weekend, having never seriously raced over that distance. Being from a distance background I had never used blocks before. So Terri Cater (my team coach) took me through my warm up and gave me a 10-minute run down on the blocks. I was happy with the race, I finished strong, but felt I probably could have gone out harder. I'll put it down to the lack of experience at the distance.

I'm feeling good for the weeks ahead.

03/07/2008: Bydgoszcz

After 40 hours of traveling we've finally arrived!! A quick bus trip from the airport and we were at the hotel. I think the Polish must love Australians because the accommodation was a hundred times better than any of us expected and one of the top places to stay in town!! The first thing on my mind was a nice cool shower. We all headed out as a team for a light jog and stretch. Our first run in a few days except for the one Trychelle and I snuck in at Singapore airport (my God that's a big airport). I felt pretty good except for a slight bit of vertigo but that may have been because I spent the majority of my time on the plane walking around and stretching.

04/07/2008: Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium

Wow! If anyone wasn't motivated to get out there and compete I bet after our trip to see the track for the first time they now are. It was fantastic that we Aussies were lucky enough to get to Bydgoszcz a couple of days earlier so we got the chance to actually check out the track and do a lap and just take everything in.

I can't wait to get out there and race.

Training: Went for a 20 minute jog around the stadium, then 6x200m strides.

05/07/2008: Training: Went for a 40 minute jog in the forest with Chloe Tighe, my fellow 1500m runner. It was meant to be 30 minutes but we got lost. Oops!

06/07/2008: Training: Felt dizzy. Doc diagnosed dehydration and gave me gastrolyte, which made me feel heaps better. Rescheduled session for the afternoon. 2x400m fast with a 10 minute recovery.

07/07/2008: Training: 30 minute jog in the forest with Chloe (we didn't get lost this time).

08/07/2008: World Juniors Day 1

Watching the start of competition today was exciting but it also added to my nerves for my race ahead. I saw how easy someone could miss making the next round. It was sad to see because I knew no-one went to world juniors half-hearted. They put everything in on the day but sometimes it really is the luck of the draw. Each heat was different to the one before that.

Training: 20 minute jog, 2x200m fast 200m jog recovery.

09/07/2008: Training: 20 minute jog in the forest with Chloe and Craig Huffer, 4x relaxed strides.

10/10/2008: Training: 15 minute jog with Mum around the local park near the hotel.

11/07/2008: Heat 1, 1500m

Finally after watching my teammates compete over the past few days it was my turn. I was nervous this morning. After watching the 800s and 1500s days beforehand I knew how rough it could get out there and how easy you can miss making the final. I decided to go into the race blind. I found out I was in heat 1 lane 6 but that was the only information I wanted to know, not who has the fastest time and where I ranked within the heat because the only time that mattered was today's race.

My warm up went smooth, as did the call room. Before I knew it I was on the start line. I had told myself earlier not to get caught leading the race, to be patient and sit out wide off the rail. As we came around for the first lap I moved out of the pack to get out of the jostling but then found myself in front still sitting out wide to avoid being boxed in. First lap was in 69. Although it was slow paced I could not get comfortable throughout the race. I was stiff with nerves. By the time there was one lap to go I was in 7th position. As we reached the 200m mark my position hadn't changed and I'll admit at that stage I thought I was screwed but I knew I didn't want to have any regrets. I knew I could pass them, so with 150 to go I kicked down and passed one after the other until finally I had claimed third position to cross the line with a PB of 4.20.82. Happy to automatically make it through to the final, I still did not feel that that was my best race. I felt so much better afterward. It was like shaking the cobwebs out of me, ready for Sunday.

12/07/2008: Today felt like one of the longest days of my life. I woke feeling good and my legs did not seem to be heavy or tired after yesterday's race. It's funny how much your mind can affect you: I was so nervous about tomorrow's race that I had a pain that would move around my body first in my hamstrings, then my arch, my back and even my neck. Finally Mum sat me down and told me that I should replace any negative thought that comes into my mind with a positive one.

13/07/2008: Final day

World Juniors had been a goal of mine from the moment I started to take athletics seriously. In July 2007 I decided this time next year I wanted to be on that plane going to Bydgoszcz. It seemed like an achievable and realistic goal to finish off my last junior year. However, at the beginning of January 2008, after a terrible first race, I was beginning to doubt whether I would ever achieve this goal. I then had a breakthrough race in February, from which I learnt that I need to be resilient; these things are not meant to come easy and when you are dedicated and committed to putting in the hard work over many years, it will eventually come. That's what makes it a whole lot sweeter.

Coming to World Juniors I had prepared myself the best that I could so that I would be ready to achieve my goal of making it to the final. Once I was in the final knowing how the races the day before went I knew not to expect a fast time so I set out to come top 8. I tried to stay relaxed all day to hide my nerves. Unfortunately as time ticked closer to my race I became more and more nervous, eventually breaking into tears an hour and a half before the race. Mum helped me through this time by talking about the positives and telling me to "Leave no regrets".

The Race: Everyone took off claiming some sort of position until 100m in. The person in front decided to slow the race down to almost a stop. A spike to the knee was only the beginning of what was to come: elbows were swinging all over the place. After receiving a few knocks I knew that if I was going to make my position known. I was to give back as good as I got. Of course it is important not to get too caught up in the jostling and save my energy for the race. The slow pace of the race increased the roughness and the pushing and shoving all the way up until the bell. With 400m to go everyone was ready for the move to drop those who couldn't respond. I was caught back in 9th. With 150m left I picked up my pace again. Giving it my all, I kept passing one after the other and then diving across the line to finish. I had no idea where I ended up. I watched the board tick over the names seconds later: 5th Bridey Delaney 4.21.20. I was stoked to come into the race ranked 11/12 and finish 5th.

This has been the best experience of my running career to date. I am thankful for the wonderful support network I had around me while I have been over here and back home in Australia. I can't wait for what the future holds.

By Bridey Delaney