CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - American high hurdler and two-time Olympic silver winner Terrence Trammell focused on gold

Record ID: 334855

  • Title: CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - American high hurdler and two-time Olympic silver winner Terrence Trammell focused on gold
  • Date: 11th August 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) TERRENCE TRAMMELL, US 110-METRE HURDLER, SAYING: "In my mind I have a goal and my goal is to be at my best on that night, which will bring me the gold medal, so, you know, it's not the first time that I haven't been a favourite or anything like that and I think that I will always be able to step up to the challenge anytime there has been one. I just continue to do what I do and not focus on all the hoopla and things that go around with the pageantry of the meet, when it comes down to it you still have to run the ten hurdles and make it through the finish line first." REPORTERS GATHERED AROUND TRAMMELL CLOSE OF TRAMMELL'S FACE TRAMMELL SEATED, TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) TERRENCE TRAMMELL, US 110-METRE HURDLER, SAYING: "I am not here focusing on anyone else but my ten hurdles. That's it. You know, I can not control how fast he runs, I can only control how fast I run." BACK OF TRAMMELL'S JACKET, WITH "USA" WRITTEN ON IT
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6CE0ATQ2VAZLURASY4CCVLYZI
  • Story Text: Media attention on Chinese hurdling hero Liu Xiang and world record holder, Cuba's Dayron Robles, will not shift America's Terrence Trammell's focus from winning the 110-metre Olympic hurdles.
    American high hurdler and two-time Olympic silver winner, Terrence Trammell, is focusing on gold and not his arch rival China's Liu Xiang in the 110 metre hurdles Beijing battle.
    On Sunday (August 10) on the sidelines of a training session a few days ahead of the August 21 event, Trammell told reporters: "In my mind I have a goal and my goal is to be at my best on that night, which will bring me the gold medal."
    Trammell said he was unconcerned that much of the world's attention is on Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang and Cuba's Dayron Robles, who with his
    87 seconds recently took the world record away from Liu.

    "It's not the first time that I haven't been a favourite or anything like that and I think that I will always be able to step up to the challenge anytime there has been one," said Trammell.
    The pressure on Liu to win another gold cannot be underestimated. He is a national hero and expectation is high for him to scoop another gold in the hurdles.
    "I am not here focusing on anyone else but my ten hurdles,"
    said Trammel, adding "I cannot control how fast he runs, I can only control how fast I run."
    The heats for the 110 metres event, one of the most highly anticipated events in the athletics competition, start at the Bird's Nest stadium on August 18.
    Other hopefuls to boost the U.S. athletics medal count are the shot-putters. The team would love a sweep of the gold, silver, bronze said Adam Nelson, who already has an Olympic silver medal and is the world's most medalled outdoors shot-putter.
    "That's certainly a big motivation for all three shot-putters to go out and perform well. We are, we know we are, the best in the world and we all expect, to do well."
    He also said that there is some pressure from the athletics team to get the ball rolling in winning medals.

    "They look to us to get the medal tally started so we hope that we can live up to expectations."
    The men's shot -put qualifying rounds and final begin and finish on the same day, August 15, which Nelson said will be tough.
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