 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
Nicole Leach: Diary from the PanAm Games: The Race
July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25
It's the day of my finals and of course I was as nervous as ever. I woke up around 10:00 am or so and got some brunch, and did my best to keep the race off my mind. I watched a movie called Legally Blonde. Then, I relaxed in my bed until it was time to head to the track. As soon as I got to the track I started my warm-up. I recalled in the trials when Brazil booed me. I was thinking about how bad the fans are here in Brazil. In the women's pole vault, it was our girl and the Brazilian girl left and when our girl made it, they booed, which I guess isn't that bad. But when our girl missed they would scream at the top of their lungs. I had never seen a crowd so anti-USA in my life. But anyway, by the time I knew it I was in my blocks getting ready to run.
In all of the races before me they were having serious starting gun trouble. People were hearing two guns so they would start and then slow down and then go again. I didn't know this at the time, but our first start was shot twice, and they called it back. This made me pretty mad because I never understood why someone would fall start in the 400 hurdles. You can always make up ground during the race. But it was the starters' fault, and on the next three commands we were off. I had lane six, and when I originally found this out I knew it was going to be bad news. I had no one in front of me, not that, that's an excuse, but I could have used some help. So I was in the lead until hurdle eight. Sheena (Johnson) and the two girls from Jamaica were slightly in front of me. I didn't panic and stayed calm like I did throughout the USA National rounds. I kept my stride pattern and as we went over the last hurdle I was closing in on second place, but it was a little too late. I took third with 54.97. I was pleased since this was my first race since USA Nationals and I know that things can only get better from now on. So when Worlds come around I can just run.
