Kirani James on the podium at the 2011 World Championships (© Getty Images)
World and Olympic 400m champion Kirani James will soon be flying out to Moscow for the World Championships where he hopes to defend his title.
“Hey everyone,
“It’s been a few weeks since my last diary and I’ve raced quite a few times since then.
“My first race in the 2013 Diamond League series was in Shanghai and I ended up running 44.02 there. Every time I compete I always try to run to the best of my abilities, so it didn’t come as a surprise to run that fast so early in the season, but it showed that I’m in good shape.
“In my following race in Eugene I just didn’t execute the race like I wanted to. LaShawn ran a great race and he came out on top that day. Had I executed my race in Eugene like I did in Shanghai, I’d have had a much better result.
“Things went a lot better in Paris where I broke 44 seconds. That gave me a lot of confidence ahead of the World Championships and it gives me an indicator of the form I’m in.
“My last race before the World Championships was in London last weekend and it was great to get the chance to compete in the Olympic Stadium again and win. It brought back a lot of fond memories from a year ago, and the support was just as good. It was amazing to see a full stadium for both days.
“In June I took time out to attend the US Championships in Des Moines. It was great being a spectator for once. When you compete, you don’t get a chance to sit down and enjoy competitions. As an athlete at a track meeting, your time is consumed by warming up, competing, warming down and drug testing. So it was nice to just watch the action, not having any of the other things to worry about.
“In between my past three races in Europe I spent time training in Linz, Austria, but now I’m back in Alabama and I’ll be flying out to Moscow on 5 August. I usually pack the night before, but I have it down to a science now. Most of it is training and competition stuff, and aside from that I travel quite light – just my laptop and phone and that’s about it.
“At this point of the season, just a week away from a major championships, I just try to stay relaxed. It doesn’t help getting anxious – the World Championships aren’t going anywhere.
“With the kind of form that I’ve shown this season, a lot of people are expecting me to set a personal best in Moscow. I can’t guarantee anything, but I hope to do that.
“Bye for now,
Kirani”
