IAAF World Relays – Day One Team USA Quotes
USATF Press Release
May 24, 2014
Women’s 4x100m Relay
Leg 1 – Tianna Bartoletta
“I would say we really tried to practice on building trust and communication. There are so many variables between practice and the race. We were making sure we were loud, saying wait, go, stick and got really consistent. That way we knew in any circumstance and situation, we would get it done.”
“I really want to emphasize how impressed I am with how small of a country, such as The Bahamas, could put so many resources into building a venue of this world-class magnitude, I was really impressed with the attention to detail in the stadium and arena. It really forces us to up our performances and I just want to say thank you for pulling this together for us.”
Leg 2 – Alexandra Anderson
“Being at World Championships last year, I’m not going to say (today) was like a redemption but it’s what we always strive for when we get on the track. You want to be best in the world. It feels good. I’m not going to lie. It feels good. It’s a new bunch of girls working together and running with people on World and Olympic teams, it feels good to bring gold back to the U.S.”
“This isn’t the first time (Jeneba and I have) been on teams together. We were at World Juniors in Beijing, passing to each other from second to third leg.”
Leg 3 – Jeneba Tarmoh
“There was definitely an adjustment on my part. I needed to be more aggressive on my acceleration and more patient to get the baton. We worked on it before our prelim and between and we did a great job with it in the final.”
“From all of us in the USA, we want to say thank you to The Bahamas and the federation for putting on such a great show. Just opening it up on the first day and we’re just excited to be here again and for future World Relays.”
Anchor – Lekeisha Lawson
“I was kind of nervous going into it because these girls have been on so many teams and been at major championships and this is my first time. I just wanted to keep up with them and I feel I did well. This year has been going really well and I’m so excited, so hopefully I’ll keep making more teams.”
Men’s 4x200m Relay
Leg 1 – Maurice Mitchell
“I’m not sure what happened. I was just trying to do my job and get the stick off clean.”
Leg 2 – Curtis Mitchell
“(Ameer) had a big stop. We almost crashed. I was nearly over him. It was just poor execution.”
Anchor – Wallace Spearmon
“I’m not sure what’s going on. I didn’t get to see the handoff but I saw it on the video board. I thought we were good.”
Women’s 4x400m Relay
Leg 1 – Dee Dee Trotter
“Practice this week was pretty individual. We don’t have the kind of strenuous practices, so for us we did a couple of handoffs and we pretty much shut it down after that. This team is full of veterans. Sanya and I are going on 11 and 12 years as professionals, so it wasn’t as much work for preparation, however we did prepare to come out here and execute our races. The first leg was a bit windy out there, actually, and the track feels great and is fast. This is a fantastic facility and I think pulling it into the lead for us, we just never stopped.”
Leg 2 – Sanya Richards-Ross
“It was awesome. I wanted to come here because there’s something so special about putting this USA uniform on and running with your teammates and I really dug deep today. I’m very, very happy with my split and my run and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Leg 3 – Monica Hargrove
“I felt great going into it. It’s always an honor to run with Dee Dee and Sanya. They both have a lot of relay experience and I was very confident getting the baton and knowing that I would be in the lead and I just really wanted to execute my race. I wanted to keep the lead and open it more so Jessica could bring it home and get us in good position for the finals tomorrow.”
Anchor – Jessica Beard
“I knew I had a good lead but I couldn’t be relaxed because I know Jamaica was in the heat with us and I knew they would run well. So I had the baton with a good lead and I knew I wanted to follow the hard work they did. I just wanted to finish it off and make sure we were in a good lane to auto-qualify for tomorrow.”
Men’s 4x400m Relay
Leg 1 – David Verburg
“I think my leg was decent. My goal was to run relaxed, try to get into the lead, and I know I have a great team behind me, so my goal was just to get the stick around and get it done.”
On if setting a world record in the 4×4 gives him confidence…
“Being a member of Team USA gives me confidence. Because they know I can do it and they believe I should be in the Team USA uniform and that’s all the confidence I need.”
Leg 2 – Clayton Parros
“David gave me the stick in good position. My main goal was to get out and work the turn, get the lead off the break and then coming off the second turn, make sure I hand the stick off in first. It was a good leg and I have strong guys behind me, so it makes it easier. We’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Leg 3 – Torrin Lawrence
“I felt like it was a great leg. I was tight because we had to sit down for a while but I knew what I had to do. I just wanted to keep this lead for us.”
Leg 4 – Christian Taylor
“It was work, it was hard but it was really fun, also. I’m so glad I was able to run with this group of guys. The whole lap, the crowd was with me and they were just pushing me through. I feel like you almost get to feel the atmosphere more with running than jumping, so this was fun. This event has been wonderful, the stadium is incredible and hopefully I get the privilege to run in the finals tomorrow.”
Men’s 4x800m Relay
Leg 1 – Mike Rutt
“It was not what I expected. In a 4×8, it can go really slow. I was shocked when I came around the turn and Kenya had a five-step lead on us already. I just tried to stay composed and bring it home as strong as I could. As long as we got the baton to Duane with a respectable distance, he can catch anyone. I don’t know if we could have run better and I’m just really proud of how we did.”
Leg 2 – Robby Andrews
“I kind of had to make a decision whether I’d go with Kenya or stay with the pack. I had such faith in Brandon and Duane and I knew as long as I tried to make anything up on Kenya, Brandon and Duane will have a better chance of catching their lead. I was pleased with how I did and I did have some left and that was how I kicked with 100 to go. I felt great and it was a lot of fun. I really had a blast with these guys.”
Leg 3 – Brandon Johnson
“I didn’t notice how fast Kenya was going. I just wanted to keep Robby’s momentum going so I took it out like a 4×4, took the stick and just went. As I was running, I saw the gap close a little bit but it was too much to fill.”
Leg 4 – Duane Solomon
“Because of the work these guys did, I was able to go out there and make it close. I knew it would be a battle until the end. It was really exciting at the end. The crowd is awesome. The people here have been great, the weather is good, it’s been awesome.”
Women’s 4x1500m Relay
Leg 1 – Heather Kampf
“I was impressed and thankful for the incredible energy in the stadium. Never have I experienced such an electricity at an event. It was great to absorb all of it and feed it into the race. I was happy to run a near-PR for the team, and despite things getting dicey in the handoff, I thought our team showed character and resilience to bring home the silver.”
Leg 2 – Katie Mackey
“Bahamians sure know how to throw a world class meet and turn it into a party! Flames, dancers & cheering helped us bring home the AR despite an imperfect race. It was an honor to represent the long-standing tradition of excellence in USA track and field by wearing the American flag on my jersey for the first time!”
Leg 3 – Kate Grace
“The energy in the stadium was like nothing else. It was a humbling experience, being able to walk out in front of the flag with three teammates. I am so proud of them, happy to be a part of it, and happy to come out with an AR.”
Leg 4 – Brenda Martinez
“So proud of my teammates. Everyone did their part beautifully and overcame adversity. We brought home the silver and an American record, so it was a great day.”