\u201cI\u2019m really excited to see where I\u2019m at after resting for the last four weeks. I feel good. I\u2019m in really great shape. I knew what I had to work on and I\u2019m in great shape physically and mentally so I\u2019m really excited to race tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemaining healthy and also going to the Diamond League finals and World Ultimate Championship. I\u2019m hoping to win there. I try to approach the season the exact same way. I\u2019m a very competitive person so I don\u2019t think of it as a non-championship year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like talking about times but anything sub-22, I\u2019m happy but the most important thing is the win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing an Olympic champion does change you in some ways but I focus on what I did to get to that point. The work does remain the same despite the fact the expectations get higher. I just focus on what I\u2019ve been doing for years that got me to that point and maintaining that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSimilarly to what Julien said, the goal is to win, to come out and put your best foot forward. I want to finish the race healthy. It\u2019s a great field with great sprinters with amazing competitors – Julien included – and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what we can bring out of each other. It would be lovely to get a meeting record, the goal is first and foremost to win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt genuinely does feel the same, especially now we have implemented the World Ultimate Championship, it almost does feel like any other season but there\u2019s also a bit of lightness in the season. The goal is to have fun and really enjoy track and field but also taking it race by race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my first time jumping here as a resident. I\u2019m glad they were able to squeeze us in here. I had to push hard for us to be added as an extra event. It\u2019s such a beautiful stadium and I didn\u2019t want to miss out on all the fun. Hopefully I have some good stuff to give too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHigher. That\u2019s the plan. I feel really good, in good shape. I\u2019m putting a lot of pressure on myself before this competition which is a good thing. I really want to jump high especially as I pushed hard to make this event happen. I want to put on a good show, I\u2019m just eager.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cComing off a bit of a poor performance in Stockholm made me more motivated and hungry. Due to the wedding, I was a little bit off mentally but right after the wedding, I felt so focused and refreshed and I just felt ready to start jumping again. I haven\u2019t been this fired up to jump in a long time. Sometimes you need a bit of a wake-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to keep that winning streak going. Monaco is my favourite Diamond League. I\u2019m not just saying that! The stadium is beautiful, we\u2019re on the beach and I swim every morning and night. The crowd is really epic, it\u2019s a good set-up for the pole vault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome people loved it, some people hated it but it fuelled my Olympic campaign: I wasn\u2019t going to let her win again. Will I be sharing with Katie again tomorrow? No, I probably won\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen the progression and it actually goes through my personal best. If I put the pieces of the puzzle together, I think there\u2019s a 4.92m bar tomorrow. I would love to clear that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to be back in Monaco. I have a lot of great memories from this stadium. I\u2019m coming back for another win or a good performance, especially after last year. I was dealing with some serious injuries and now I\u2019m back, putting on my spikes and doing what I love: jumping and competing. I\u2019m looking for an improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been out for one-and-a-half years. I\u2019m really happy to be back and jumping in spikes. I approach everything differently now. I know I can\u2019t do what I normally do in training but I have that athlete mentality: \u2018you know what? I\u2019m going to make it happen.\u2019 It works. It\u2019s not easy but it works.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s very important to me is longevity: being able to produce such a high performance over such a long time. I think that\u2019s something which stands out from the rest.\u201d
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m in my best shape yet: we haven\u2019t done my last training block of the season yet. Running 43.5 showed us what we are going to do towards the end of the season. I didn\u2019t expect it; the first half of the race I was a bit relaxed but it\u2019s all about execution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s possible. We just have to go out there and do our thing. It\u2019s a strong field and I won\u2019t be surprised if two or three of us run under the meeting record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI get asked that a lot. This season, we\u2019re just focusing on the 400m. Unfortunately we don’t have the 200m in the season. Maybe next season you\u2019ll see me more in the 200m.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the plan is just another PR: whether that\u2019s 44-flat or 43.9, another PR would be perfect. I\u2019m just having fun. I\u2019m trying a new event this year. It\u2019s taking some time to get the rhythm; Eugene was only my second race and I\u2019m hoping to do much better at this meet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis meet was the catalyst to go on to do well in Paris. It\u2019s a pretty special meet and I love the atmosphere and I love the track. The weather is always good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe keeps things very light but she\u2019s been at this level and she\u2019s an Olympic champion. I take what she says very seriously. It\u2019s been an amazing run for us as athlete-and-coach over the last eight or nine years. Stepping into a different event, I see her shining through in coaching in an event which she doesn\u2019t really coach at all. She\u2019s not afraid to ask questions. I\u2019m a big supporter of not only just women in sports but women figures leading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think I can handle that. Every single time I\u2019ve raced this year, it\u2019s been a meeting record. We\u2019re just going to break all the records. I don\u2019t chase times, I chase wins and with wins come fast times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s due to evolution. When there\u2019s a lot of fast people at the same time, fast times become more normal. We\u2019re learning more, there are more resources and we are knowing more. Like the men\u2019s 100m when Usain Bolt was running, that was the era for the 100m. I feel like we are in this era for the 100m hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like sub-12 is definitely possible. I know I\u2019m still very young, I\u2019m still building and getting stronger, I\u2019m still learning. When I turn 28, 29, 30 and when I get even stronger, faster and even more experienced, I think we will start to see 12.0s and 11.9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited to perform here. I expected a good performance. I\u2019ve been here since Monday so I\u2019ve discovered the track and it\u2019s pretty fast. I expect a fast time tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot necessarily because my preparation wasn\u2019t that good going into the Jamaican Championships. Running 9.82 was not that expected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was really tough to decide to go to Eugene after a bit of a hamstring injury. Going back to Eugene I was not surprised with the result, it is what I expected. It would have been tough to quit Eugene and Monaco as these places hold unique memories breaking world records and I could not hold back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m on the road to recovery. I\u2019m not at 100 percent but I\u2019m going to try my best. I know where I\u2019ve come from. It\u2019s been a tough journey since Shanghai. I hope to recover in a nice way towards the end of the season. It\u2019s not easy, especially when you are at 98 percent, you need 99-100 percent. I\u2019m going to try my best and run the race I\u2019ve been preparing for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI raced in the kids events in 2008 when I was 11 years old. Looking at the big stars who were racing, I had stars in my eyes and one day I wish I could compete with them. I took a different path with triathlon but last year was a big challenge in the post-Olympic year and I was searching for a new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter such a high [in Paris 2024], I thought: what\u2019s next? I just needed something different and for something that makes me want to wake up in the morning and to be excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe made me want to do new things this year. I saw his marathon experience last year and I was a bit jealous. I wanted to copy him but I’m not ready for a marathon yet. I don\u2019t know if he has changed his preparation a lot but it will be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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