Renaud Lavillenie at the Zurich press conference (© Gladys Chai van der Laage)
Zürich, SwitzerlandUsain Bolt, ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce, Carmelita Jeter, Otto Bjorn and Renaud Livillenie met with the press this afternoon on the eve of the Weltklasse Zürich, the first of two Samsung Diamond League series finals.
Below is a transcript of some of the highlights.
Usain Bolt (JAM), two-time double Olympic champion 100m and 200m, World record holder 100m and 200m -
On what his goals might be in 2013:
I think when you change your focus, you never know what we’re going to come up with for next season. We might decide, 'Let’s try to go for the World records and see how far we can put these World records.’ So we’ll base everything on just times, it won’t be the World Championships.
When you have the World records it’s hard to try and focus on just going faster. I know people want to see it. My focus is always on the championships. I never focus on the times. But maybe we’ll try to focus on just times. Maybe we’ll decide, 'Let’s try to go faster. Let’s try to run under 19 seconds. Let’s try to run 9.4.’
I don’t know what we might come up with. Let’s just wait and see.
On the 2013 World Championships in Moscow:
I don’t know what my focus will be. Most likely I’ll be doing one of the sprints. Which one it will be, I don’t know. It’s going to be a great World Championships without a doubt, but I don’t know which one I'll be doing.
But I’m looking forward to it. The fans are always great, there’s always a great crowd. It’s going to be really good.
Did easing up in the Olympic 200m final in London cost him a World record?
Looking back at it, it’s a possibility. I think in the 100 metres if I didn’t lean five metres from the line that I could have gotten that one also. But I don’t focus on these World records. I came there for one reason and one reason only: to defend my Olympic titles.
In the 100 I maybe could have (broken it), in the 200 definitely. But when I came off the corner I felt my back so I said, I’m not going to try and over-do this, get injured and then be out for the rest of the season. And maybe even hurt it to the point that I have to start from scratch.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100m champion –
It was an exciting year. One of my goals for 2012 was to actually graduate and become Olympic champion again and it was exciting that I actually did that. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the year and to be able to enjoy all that I have.
I’m also really looking forward to tomorrow. We have a great women’s (100m) field.
On which event she prefers:
Definitely the 100. It’s so easy for me. In the 200 I’m still learning, I try new things, I try to run the corner as fast as possible. It’s really hard. But as the years go on I think I’ll actually become a better 200 runner than in the 100.
Carmelita Jeter (USA), Olympic 100m silver medallist, 4x100m Relay gold medallist –
On how she can maintain strong consistency throughout the season:
This year I wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked to have been. But I believe it’s just training hard, trying to get some type of rhythm. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to get rhythm when you have races spaced out the way they are now. When you have a 100, then you don’t have another 100 for another three weeks, and then you have two 200s in between there. So it becomes a little difficult for us to drop bombs like we would like to.
On the photo shoot she took part in on Tuesday:
It’s fun. Being able to do shoots is fun. Yesterday with my shoot I said that I want to have a lot of hair. So they went and found me all these wigs, and I ended up wearing a wig that came down almost all the way to my kneecaps.
It’s always fun to be able to put a competition aside and just being able to enjoy yourself.
Yohan Blake (JAM), Olympic silver medallist 100m and 200m, World champion 100m –
On his race in Lausanne where he clocked 9.69 to become the third fastest man in history:
There were some mistakes in the race that my coach pointed out to me, I think it could have been much better, execution-wise. My coach is looking into that.
Can he run faster?
I’m a man of surprises. I like to surprise people.
On his health:
Definitely I’m much better now. I had a little flu after London but I’m better.
On being on a different level from other sprinters, along with Usain Bolt:
Over the years I’ve been working really hard. And to finally get ahead of the game.. I used to be the one doing the chasing, now they are chasing me.
Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), Olympic gold medallist Pole Vault –
On why and how he can perform so many more jumps in training than other competitors:
I’m able to jump two, three hours in a row. Actually my longest training session was over three and a half hours. And I did about ninety jumps.
I like it. It’s just that when I get a pole in my hand I just want to jump and keep jumping. There’s no other reason.
Bjorn Otto (GER) Olympic silver medallist Pole Vault -
On why he had a successful season in 2012:
I changed my training a bit this year and didn’t have too many injuries. So I thought I could have a good season and that was the case this year.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
Below is a transcript of some of the highlights.
Usain Bolt (JAM), two-time double Olympic champion 100m and 200m, World record holder 100m and 200m -
On what his goals might be in 2013:
I think when you change your focus, you never know what we’re going to come up with for next season. We might decide, 'Let’s try to go for the World records and see how far we can put these World records.’ So we’ll base everything on just times, it won’t be the World Championships.
When you have the World records it’s hard to try and focus on just going faster. I know people want to see it. My focus is always on the championships. I never focus on the times. But maybe we’ll try to focus on just times. Maybe we’ll decide, 'Let’s try to go faster. Let’s try to run under 19 seconds. Let’s try to run 9.4.’
I don’t know what we might come up with. Let’s just wait and see.
On the 2013 World Championships in Moscow:
I don’t know what my focus will be. Most likely I’ll be doing one of the sprints. Which one it will be, I don’t know. It’s going to be a great World Championships without a doubt, but I don’t know which one I'll be doing.
But I’m looking forward to it. The fans are always great, there’s always a great crowd. It’s going to be really good.
Did easing up in the Olympic 200m final in London cost him a World record?
Looking back at it, it’s a possibility. I think in the 100 metres if I didn’t lean five metres from the line that I could have gotten that one also. But I don’t focus on these World records. I came there for one reason and one reason only: to defend my Olympic titles.
In the 100 I maybe could have (broken it), in the 200 definitely. But when I came off the corner I felt my back so I said, I’m not going to try and over-do this, get injured and then be out for the rest of the season. And maybe even hurt it to the point that I have to start from scratch.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100m champion –
It was an exciting year. One of my goals for 2012 was to actually graduate and become Olympic champion again and it was exciting that I actually did that. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the year and to be able to enjoy all that I have.
I’m also really looking forward to tomorrow. We have a great women’s (100m) field.
On which event she prefers:
Definitely the 100. It’s so easy for me. In the 200 I’m still learning, I try new things, I try to run the corner as fast as possible. It’s really hard. But as the years go on I think I’ll actually become a better 200 runner than in the 100.
Carmelita Jeter (USA), Olympic 100m silver medallist, 4x100m Relay gold medallist –
On how she can maintain strong consistency throughout the season:
This year I wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked to have been. But I believe it’s just training hard, trying to get some type of rhythm. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to get rhythm when you have races spaced out the way they are now. When you have a 100, then you don’t have another 100 for another three weeks, and then you have two 200s in between there. So it becomes a little difficult for us to drop bombs like we would like to.
On the photo shoot she took part in on Tuesday:
It’s fun. Being able to do shoots is fun. Yesterday with my shoot I said that I want to have a lot of hair. So they went and found me all these wigs, and I ended up wearing a wig that came down almost all the way to my kneecaps.
It’s always fun to be able to put a competition aside and just being able to enjoy yourself.
Yohan Blake (JAM), Olympic silver medallist 100m and 200m, World champion 100m –
On his race in Lausanne where he clocked 9.69 to become the third fastest man in history:
There were some mistakes in the race that my coach pointed out to me, I think it could have been much better, execution-wise. My coach is looking into that.
Can he run faster?
I’m a man of surprises. I like to surprise people.
On his health:
Definitely I’m much better now. I had a little flu after London but I’m better.
On being on a different level from other sprinters, along with Usain Bolt:
Over the years I’ve been working really hard. And to finally get ahead of the game.. I used to be the one doing the chasing, now they are chasing me.
Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), Olympic gold medallist Pole Vault –
On why and how he can perform so many more jumps in training than other competitors:
I’m able to jump two, three hours in a row. Actually my longest training session was over three and a half hours. And I did about ninety jumps.
I like it. It’s just that when I get a pole in my hand I just want to jump and keep jumping. There’s no other reason.
Bjorn Otto (GER) Olympic silver medallist Pole Vault -
On why he had a successful season in 2012:
I changed my training a bit this year and didn’t have too many injuries. So I thought I could have a good season and that was the case this year.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
