Quotes – Media conference with the international top athletes

Quotes from the press conference

Elaine Thompson (200m; Jamaica)
I’ve been in Switzerland for a week now and I was happy about my fast time in Lausanne. The false start in Lausanne was a bit strange, with some of the athletes going through the end but I stopped so it wasn’t difficult for me. Now it’s a great pleasure to be back in Zurich again. It’s a good lineup so I’m motivated to compete here. The future? I don’t really now how fast I will be able to be…

Dafne Schippers (200m; Netherlands)
It’s indeed very special to win an olympic medal for the Netherlands, it hasn’t happened for almost 40 years. I was a heptathlete up to 2014 so it was very special to win both 100 and 200 meters in Zurich at the European championships. I love to compete with the other girls, it’s part of my job and I really like Elaine, as we’re the same age and get along well. I hoped to do more in Rio but if you’d asked me two years ago and told me that I’d become world champion and silver medallist at the olympics I would have been a very happy person. So I’ll work even harder to be back next season.

Allyson Felix (200m; USA)
I struggled with injuries a lot this year and had to skip the 200m at the Olympics. I am also happy about what I accomplished in the 400m. It was very nice to be back home afterwards. Track and field is not the main sport in the US so it was fun to see the fans after the Olympics highlights.

Veronica Campbell-Brown (200m; Jamaica)
I always enjoy coming to Zurich, I enjoy the crowd, I like the track and always know that we can have something crazy happening. My setbacks always motivate me, I had a few setbacks this season but I came back and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me in the next couple of seasons. (About Elaine Thomposon) Elaine is in good hands, she needs to stay hungry and keep her focus when asked what Elaine Thompson needs to do in the future.

Kendra Harrison (100m hurdles; USA)
I’ve been here yesterday, for the kids clinic. It was a very enjoyable experience on a beautiful scenery. And the kids were awesome. Technique, for me, is the number one thing. I love the technical part of the hurdles, and I am watching a lot of videos, also of great athletes of the past years, like Sally Pearson. Coming off the hurdle, for example, makes a big difference. Hurdle by hurdle you decrease your speed, but I managed to decrease it less than others and come off faster. It’s my first time in Zurich. I heard the track is really fast, and I expect a fast time. My main goal is to cross the line first and win the Diamond League. But it’s the last race of my season and I’ll give everything I got. I think the trials are the fairest way to select US athletes. It’s a like a mini Olympics and you need to be able to run under pressure. I wasn’t able to do that, so that’s what I’m working on. It was good to see the full American podium though. I was expecting that. The 400m hurdles is something I still want to do and I’m thinking about it for next year.

Christian Taylor (triple jump; USA)
"Last one, best one", This is a motto that stuck with me since the time at the University of Florida. Now the pressure has gone. On the podium all the pressure had gone, and I was able to go to Zurich feeling a lot more comfortable. I’ve grown up a lot this year, I needed a good push to raise my level. But sometimes you also just need to go out there and have some fun – and let that pressure go. Training with Tianna can be scary. I don’t get off-days when I train with her. We do have a lot of fun. When we get to the runway though, things get serious. Tianna is an animal when we train, she keeps me sharp, it’s a privilege to train with her. Those are the things that go on daily. 

Tianna Bartoletta (long jump; USA)
Yesterday was my birthday, and being in Zurich really felt like I was reaching a point of celebration. I’ve been at the kids clinic. Over 100 kids trying to accomplish their best with no fear! It’s been very inspiring, and they reminded me of the feelings you need in sports. After being a world champion at 19, I had a 7-year down. But I don’t have any regrets of accomplishing good results so early. After that I grew up away from the track, met the right people and changed my coach. I was able to find myself, to be more mature and to develop a professional attitude. I struggled at the beginning of the year because I was too fast, but when I managed to control that, it got much better. If I had to give a tip to young athletes, it would be „don’t slow down“, just run through the board. To me, Zurich is more like a celebration. So my number one priority is having a good time, rather than being as competitive as I can, after so many jumps at the Olympics.

Renaud Lavillenie (pole vault; France)
I’m very happy. It was my goal to be as consistent as possible throughout the season. Year after year, it gets more difficult because the other guys are pushing. Last year, the weather was bad (at Letzigrund Stadium). I had jumped two years ago in dry conditions, so I’m excited to be back, do my best and see how the others do. First of all, I’m going to watch the pole vault show at the train station. I want to have a look at the possibilities. It’s important to see if the athletes are happy with what we put up for them. I just try to pick up the scene and see what’s going on. Sam was like a kid, excited to see me (jump) in the past. I think it was in Shanghai when he asked me how to jump the 5.70m. So I just told him to continue jumping the way he did and it would happen. (About competing in Paris:) I was tired after the long trip, but I was happy to be back home and jump in front of my home crowd. People wanted to show me that they enjoyed the sport and for me, that was special.

Thiago Braz (pole vault; Brazil)
It was a big surprise (winning in Rio). I was prepared to jump 6 metres, and in Rio, the conditions were perfect. I’m here to continue my season although I wanted to stop. Maybe I’ll be able to jump 5.80 or 5.85, we’ll see.

Sam Kendricks (pole vault; USA)
I tried many sports and I found my strength doing that and being with great athletes. I’m a good cross country runner, but don’t put me on the 5k track here. I’ve watched Renaud since I was very young. Being on the competitions I got to know him pretty well and to spend time with him and his group. I had much fun, and I learned a lot from him.

Ruth Jebet (3000m steeplechase; Bahrain)
I was not prepared to run a world record. I tried my best in Paris and I made it. I wasn’t expecting to run that fast, and now I don’t know now if it’s possible to run even faster. After Paris, I travelled back to my country. My whole family was of course very happy about the Olympics and the record. I’m very close to winning the Diamond League but it is not going to be easy tomorrow.

Andreas Hediger (meeting director)
I’m proud to annouce that we have a full house tomorrow, 25,000 spectators will create a great atmosphere at Letzigrund Stadium. We depend on the weather, the evening temperatures should be around 22-23 degrees, so we will have great conditions for our competitions. 

Christoph Joho (meeting director)
It is not only about the meeting anymore. We would like to be close to the fans. We have various activities throughout the year. The core of this, our main goal, is to support and promote athletics in Switzerland. The meeting remains the main event, of course, „a place to be“. 25 world have been set in the history of our event through its history and put together the best meeting in the world.