CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - Australian cycler Anna Meares, who survived terrible injuries in an accident earlier in the year, took the silver medal in the women's sprint

Record ID: 555969

  • Title: CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - Australian cycler Anna Meares, who survived terrible injuries in an accident earlier in the year, took the silver medal in the women's sprint
  • Date: 21st August 2008
  • Summary: (BN03) BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 20, 2008) (REUTERS) SALLY MCLELLAN, AUSTRALIA 100 METRES HURDLES SILVER MEDALLIST (SEATED LEFT) AND ANNA MEARES, AUSTRALIAN CYCLING WOMEN'S SPRINT SILVER MEDALLIST (SEATED RIGHT) AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA MEARES, AUSTRALIAN CYCLING WOMEN'S SPRINT SILVER MEDALLIST, SAYING: "You know when you are focused for so long like I have been since my accident, you just, like Sally said, you just get caught in a bubble, in your own little world and it is a very narrow focus and it is one that is so strong that you just don't realise the extent of the things that you have achieved and that is probably why I was so emotional last night because it all hit home." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA MEARES, AUSTRALIAN CYCLING WOMEN'S SPRINT SILVER MEDALLIST, SAYING: "Incredible reaction, my phone and email inbox is completely full. I have received so many messages of just sheer happiness for myself and people telling me that they have been inspired by my performance as well. It is very very touching, it is something special to know that you are inspiring other people." CAMERACREWS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SALLY MCLELLAN, AUSTRALIA 100 METRES HURDLES SILVER MEDALLIST, SAYING: "I just walked out into that stadium and I have never ever been so pumped in my life. I was acting really strangely for myself, I was yelling out, I was saying 'come on' really loud and I was just talking to myself out loud in front of everyone and I never do that. I was just really ready to go and I just got it right on the night. I got out of those blocks and I usually do have a great start out of the blocks, and I did have probably an awesome start obviously last night, just being ahead of those girls at the start of the race was just fantastic and it was a great feeling and I knew something special was going to happen half way through the race, and I saw Lolo going down, I saw the whole thing, I just remember it really clearly and I felt for her obviously, but as soon as she went down I just said "Go, just run" and I took my chance and just went through the gap and then, yeah, here I am - a silver medallist." WIDE OF MEARES AND MCLELLAN ON PODIUM
  • Embargoed: 5th September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA61BDFUYA52OFSAMHDJVZUKC33
  • Story Text: It's been an overwhelmingly emotional return to her sport for Australian cyclist Anna Meares, who scooped a silver medal on Tuesday (August 19) after overcoming a near fatal crash at the start of the year.
    Meares, the Athens 500m time trial champion and sprint bronze medallist, was beaten in the Beijing final by Britain's Victoria Pendleton after returning to fitness following the crash in January.
    Traveling at close to 70 kilometres an hour, she fell hard at the World Championships, fracturing a vertebrae near the base of her skull which could have led to paralysis, hitting her hip, shoulder and head and sustaining severe burns.
    She told reporters on Wednesday (August 20) the past eight months had been intense as she concentrated on recovering in time to make the games.

    "You know when you are focused for so long like I have been since my accident, you just get caught in a bubble, in your own little world and it is a very narrow focus and it is one that is so strong that you just don't realise the extent of the things that you have achieved and that is probably why I was so emotional last night because it all hit home," she told a news conference.
    The Queenslander said she has been inundated with messages of support from people inspired by her determined comeback: "It is very very touching, it is something special to know that you are inspiring other people."
    Meares got silver after China's favourite Guo Shuang was disqualified after winning her semi-final Olympic track sprint cycling race against Meares for cutting off her opponent. Guo crossed the finish line just barely ahead of Meares. But then the judges ruled that the Chinese cyclist had illegally entered Meares's lane and would be disqualified.
    A surprise on the athletics track inside the Bird's Nest stadium gave another boost to the Australians, with Sally McLellan winning silver after a dramatic mistake by American Lolo Jones in the 100 metres hurdles.
    Jones, the fastest woman in the world this year, looked to be cruising to victory when she clattered into the penultimate hurdle, knocking her off her stride, and American Dawn Harper surged across the line .
    It needed a photo to separate the next four runners, who all finished within two hundredths of a second of each other. McLellan was awarded silver and Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep bronze with the same time of 12.64.
    McLellan told reporters she made it with a surge of adrenaline at being at the Olympics.

    "I just walked out into that stadium and I have never ever been so pumped in my life. I was acting really strangely for myself, I was yelling out, I was saying 'come on' really loud and I was just talking to myself out loud in front of everyone and I never do that
    "I saw Lolo going down, I saw the whole thing, I just remember it really clearly and I felt for her obviously, but as soon as she went down I just said "Go, just run" and I took my chance and just went through the gap and then, yeah, here I am - a silver medallist," McLellan said.
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