Nike Women Bust a Move in Berlin
August 26, 2009
It was all about girl power in Berlin.
Nike women came, saw and yes, kicked butt, giving it all they had and then some. In the process, they garnered medal after medal including a number of precious golds.
We were honored to have five of these great women sit down with us to share their pre- and post-competition thoughts. What did they have to say?
USA's Sanya Richards was bubbling over with excitement after her victory in the 400m final. "Winning the gold medal was a dream come true," she said. "It felt like it was a long time coming, (but) in sports sometimes you have to go through those lessons to be able to get to the top." Richards commented that while she's inspired to achieve greatness by a number of people, her mom and dad definitely play a major role. She added, "When I first started it was fun and something I thought I was good at, but as I got older I definitely drew inspiration from my parents and they are here as usual supporting me and they have been my inspiration for a long time." Congrats Sanya! We are so proud of you!
China's Zhou Chunxiu—one of only seven women in the world to run a sub-2:20 marathon—expressed her pre-race focus. She commented, "I have to say that every meeting, every event, I take it very very seriously." Chunxiu added, "This match is also very important for me, so I have prepared very thoroughly and I go in there with a lot of feelings." Zhou certainly carried this focus all the way to the finish line, crossing in 2:25:29 for an outstanding 4th place.
We caught Kara Goucher, America's distance superstar, pre-race as well, but nerves didn't seem to be bothering her. "I think that my preparation has gone very well," Goucher said. "I have only been a marathoner for ten months now so its still pretty new, but its my third time around and I feel like we’ve really covered all the bases this time with this strength and the speed, so I’m excited." Kara proved once again that she's one of the world's best at 26.2 finishing in a phenomenal 2:27:48. Way to go Kara!
German high jumper Ariane Friedrich, record holder for the event in her country, commented that she was inspired to take up the sport by one of her school teachers. After winning her first competition, Friedrich kept competing (and winning) and hasn't stopped since. She said, "I like high jump very much because you can always get to your limits." Ariane added, "You can laugh, you can try, you can compete with others. It’s all about tactics and I enjoy this very much." Friedrich employed nearly impeccable tactics to take bronze in a hotly contested high jump final; her jump of 2.02 meters was only .02 meters away from gold.
A runner since she was five, USA's Lashinda Demus was excited to be back on the world stage following a comeback in 2008 after having twin boys. The 400m hurdler said that she's definitely motivated by the idea of winning a gold, but that her boys also play a factor. "I really want to do it to set an example for my twin boys. My priorities are different when I compete because I do it for them also." Demus set an incredible example in the final by bringing home a silver medal in 52.96s.
Congrats to all our incredible Nike women! We can't wait to see to what's in store for you next.
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