Mo Farah en route to 3,000m victory, Euro Indoor, 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net.

It is hard not to be ecstatic after winning a medal! But, to me, what is fascinating, is that, in the so called, Mixed Zone, after races, some very thoughtful comments come from athletes who have been involved in a championship situation, where their mental, spiritual and physical selves have been pushed to the limit.

I enjoyed Chris Thompson’s comments, but my favorites are Mo Farahs. I hope you enjoy!

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Flash Interviews – Tue 27 July

Daniele MEUCCI (ITA) – Bronze Medal

10000m Men Final

“It’s
my first international medal. I’m very happy. I was here three years
ago and it’s always a pleasure to come back to Barcelona. I always have
a good feeling here. I dedicate this medal to my coach and fiance.”

Chris THOMPSON (GBR) – Silver Medal

10000m Men Final

“This
is unbelievable. It’s a great success for British athletics. It’s the
first season in a long time that I have competed without injuries and,
for me, being second behind Mo Farah is like a gold medal. He’s an
incredible athlete and no one could beat him tonight so I’m very
happy.”,

Mo FARAH (GBR) – Winner

10000m Men Final

“The
first European gold feels great. It was many years of hard work to
achieve this goal. Chris took the lead, it was a fierce competition. I
knew I needed to get rid of some of the runners. It’s awesome that
Chris and me obtained the double. Now I look forward to the 5000m. I
need to recover fast, but I’ve got it going on”

Nadzeya OSTAPCHUK (BLR) – Winner

Shot Put Women Final

“This
year I’m in top shape. Today was a very tough qualification due to the
incredible heat. But I was sure that I was going to fight for the
medal. I’m very happy about my first European outdoor gold. I will
celebrate tonight talking to my friends on the phone”

Anna AVDEYEVA (RUS) – Bronze Medal

Shot Put Women Final

“Before
the last attempt I was praying. I decided to put all my heart and soul
into this sixth attempt. I achieved the performance and yelled like
crazy. Now I lost my voice but I won the bronze medal“

Natallia MIKHNEVICH (BLR) – Silver Medal

Shot Put Women Final

“The
competition was great. It has been very special to compete in the
Olympic Stadium. I’m very satisfied with my result. Before competing I
was not sure if I could make it on the podium”

JoÃ£o VIEIRA (POR) – Bronze

20 km Walk Men Final

“I’m
satisfied that I was able to repeat my bronze medal from GÃ¶teborg 2006.
It’s a great feeling. The circuit is very fast. I’m very happy”

Alex SCHWAZER (ITA) – Silver

20 km Walk Men Final

“It
was a good race. I’m happy with the silver medal. I tried to catch up
with Emelyanov but he was in top shape today. Now I hope to recover in
time for the 50km Walk”

Stanislav EMELYANOV (RUS) – Winner

20 km Walk Men Final

“I am very happy. It’s been a great race for me. The circuit is fast, I liked it”

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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