USA vs. The World LIVE athlete quotes
04-24-2010
Contact:
Jill Geer
Chief Public Affairs Officer
USA Track & Field
Men’s 4x100m relay, Jamaica Gold
Usain Bolt
"The crowd here has always been wonderful. I haven’t been here in a while and I was really looking forward to it. It was awesome. The experience was wonderful and I love running here. I’m looking forward to next season.
On his team practicing handoffs together: “We even marked out just like the Penn Relays on our track, so he (his coach) was really into it.”
On the noise of the crowd while warming up: “Over the past two years I’ve been surprised by the amount o people that know me and the welcome I get when I go to track meets or functions. For me I’m still trying to get used to it and I’m enjoying it.”
On his club team beating a U.S. national team: "It’s a very good stepping stone to show that our track club is stepping up and doing well. Especially on this 4x100, we’ve been doing baton changes for two weeks. We came here really focused and ready and we came out there and executed.
On getting the baton in the lead: "I told the guys to make sure I didn’t have to work, because I really didn’t want to do much. I go the baton pretty much in front, so I wasn’t really worried about anything else.
On what makes Penn Relays special: “For me, it’s always the crowd. As you can see, when we came out it was very loud. The starter was telling the crowd to be quiet. That’s one in a million. When you go anywhere else in the world, they are quiet (for the start). You get in front of Jamaicans and they make noise until you ask them to be quiet.”
Men’s 4x100m relay, USA Blue
Walter Dix
“The crowd was magnificent. This was the best crowd I’ve seen here. I wanted to get the guys a good start and give them a little edge on the stagger. I came out a little sloppy, ran a little to the inside of my lane too much. But I got it together and we were able to get a good exchange.”
Ivory Williams
“We all ran a good leg. We just had some bad handoffs. I ran a real good fourth leg, but I couldn’t pass him up (Bolt). I don’t care if it’s Usain Bolt or not, I’m just trying to win. That’s always what I’ve been is a winner. When they’re cheering for Usain Bolt, I feel like they’re cheering for me still. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pass him up, but I was trying. I think we really can beat these guys. I think if I’m in front of Usain Bolt, I don’t think he’s going to catch me, to be honest.”
Michael Rodgers
“I ran an exceptionally good leg. Our exchange wasn’t the best, and that was probably the difference-maker today. This is the first time I’ve lost to Jamaica, and they broke our (Penn Relays) record. And they did it on home soil. How would you like it if somebody came in your house and beat you?”
Shawn Crawford
“I don’t know what to say about it. I just hate losing. We messed up the sticks a little bit. I’m tired of having messed up sticks as a US team. I want perfect sticks so we can whup some a**. I wish we could practice together so we could have flawless handoffs. Individually on our legs, we ran good. I hate losing, and I hate losing to Jamaica. I’m tired of being plagued by messed-off handoffs. We’re better than that, but it seems like the last four years, we’re not better than that.”
On the attention Bolt brings: “It excites and it motivates. The more excitement they bring to track and field, we all get the attention because we’re on the same playing field. But it motivates me because you want to be that guy winning. I want to get up there and showboat a little bit and be in the spotlight so I can talk a little mess.”
Women’s 4x100m relay, USA Blue
Carmelita Jeter
"Penn Relays is always so live. I enjoy coming here because it’s always so fun. The crowd always gets you into the race. You think you’re at a World Championships here. I had fun today and we got the stick around, that was the most important thing.
Lisa Barber
“I was leadoff leg and I could actually hear, right next to me, the crowd screaming. I’ve been coming here for about 12 years now, and this was the loudest one. It was great. When Bolt was warming up, I couldn’t hear my music anymore through my headphones. It’s great that Usain is getting this much press. He’s getting so much recognition worldwide.”
Miki Barber
"It’s a pleasure for me to be back home on the East Coast. We had safe passes. We won and got the stick around. I was coming in a lot faster than in practice yesterday, and I ran up on her a little bit. I waited until I got a clear target until I passed it to her.
On the noise of the crowd with Bolt in the house: “It was so loud. I thought, ‘Is the President here?’”
Women’s Sprint Medley Relay
Kenia Sinclair, JAM anchor (800m): “This was a very good team. The first three legs were strong. We just wanted to keep it close. This was my first race since Boston (on February 6). I wasn’t surprised to run 1:57. I knew I was in shape to run 1:58 open. I just wanted to go out there and set the pace for Team Jamaica, and that’s what I did.”
Men’s 4x400m relay, USA Blue
David Neville
"For me, it was a pretty decent lead-off. I wanted to get out. I’ve had a couple of nicks and bruises over the last couple of weeks, so I wanted to get back in and get the season going.
Jamaal Torrance
"I just wanted to get in a good position for the rest of my teammates. "
Bershawn Jackson
“I wanted to give a good performance. I wanted to give the crowd something to see, something to cheer about. I got the stick with everybody else. America always dominated the sprints. In the last couple of years Jamaica has made good progress. We always counter back with the 400 meters.”
“The last time I ran with a great crowd like this was the Olympic Games in Beijing.”
Angelo Taylor
"I felt really good coming in. My season has been going very well so far. Penn Relays is one of my favorite meets to run at. It’s definitely a great crowd. It’s a record-breaking crowd today.
“I remember my first one (Penn Relays) was 1997 when I was a freshman at Georgia Tech. I think we got dead last in the Championship of America, and we came back the next year and won. I never get tired of it. It’s probably the closest thing to a good crowd as we do when we run in Europe, so I enjoy it here. Nowhere else in America do we get this crowd and this excitement. It’s like running in an international meet.”
Women’s 4x400m relay, USA Blue
Dee Dee Trotter
“It was one of those crazy winds. Overall I felt like it was a very competitive race. You could really feel the competition, which made it exciting, and of course it was a great crowd. When the crowd gets uplifted, it energizes all the athletes. We had a USA section that was really hype and it was wild. They kept it up for USA. They had cheers.”
Lashinda Demus
“We missed out on the sunshine. We had a crosswind. We felt it on the backstretch and the homestretch. Physically I felt good and I was just happy to run with another 4x4 team.”
On Bolt: “Any one person that can get attention for the sport as a whole is good for all of us. If we can use Bolt, we’re gonna use Bolt. If we can use Sanya, we’re gonna use Sanya. If we can use Allyson, we’re gonna use Allyson. Also. It’s a team, a worldly team with this sport.”
Allyson Felix
“The crowd was amazing as always. The rivalry with Jamaica makes it extra special. It was real exciting. I just didn’t want to get ‘woop wooped on.’”
On the 4x100: “Everyone had really looked forward to that race. We know Jamaica had a great team and knew it would come down to handoffs. We had motivation and that was extra, extra exciting. Everyone was excited to come see Bolt run, and they got to see us run too.”