Q&A: “slowly but surely” is Lauryn Williams’ theme moving forward

American 2005 World 100m champion, Lauryn Williams, on her recent visit to Trinidad & Tobago, the country of her father’s birth, discussed with Trackalerts.com senior correspondent Clayton Clarke, her plans for 2010 and beyond - the US performance in 2009, Carmelita Jeter, her poor performances in the past two seasons, drugs in the sport among several other things.

The below are the questions and answers with Clarke and Williams.

Clayton Clarke: How do you feel returning to the land of your father’s birth? Lauryn Williams: I have never been to Tobago before. I have been to Trinidad one time when I was 11 years old. It’s really good to be back. I am really looking to reconnect with my family and find more about him and where he was and where he was from. As we speak I am heading to Charlotteville to look for some of the relatives. We don’t know very much about who remains there because a lot has gone to the States. So they gave me some names of some people that I just going to ask around and hopefully…

CC: What is the purpose of your visit? LW: I brought my grandmother (Mazi Williams) down for Christmas because she is getting close to 80 years old and didn’t want her to travel alone. It has been a week and I saw plenty of my family. As I said it is just reconnecting with them and getting to know about the area my father was born and the culture, which is part of me too. My grandmother has 13 brothers and sisters. I am staying at one of her brothers, Preston Williams. I have met his children. I went to the Maracas Beach in Trinidad. I went on the glass bottom boat to the Nylon Pool in Tobago where according to the legend I will live forever because I bathed in the pool.

CC: Who are some of the persons you had a chance to meet? LW: Ato Boldon escorted me around. I was very fortunate for that.

CC: What do you know of the sprinters in this country? LW: Definitely Hasely Crawford and I met Ato Boldon. The ones are competing with me now Marc Burns, Darryl Browne, Kelly Ann Baptiste, who I know is from Tobago and the new boy Renny Quow, I have not met (him) yet.  Kelly Ann is a really nice girl, she is always very friendly.

CC: What do you think of the US team’s performance in Berlin? LW: I think we did well. We had a lot of medalists. Some are saying we didn’t do as well as we did in the past but it is how you look at it. I really felt like they put their best foot forward and got very good results. I am very proud of the US team in Berlin.

CC: As you look back on your 2009 season how would describe it? LW: I think I could have done a little bit better. I am not going to make excuses for myself but I think my father’s passing took a little more of a toll of me than I thought it would. Everybody mourns a little bit differently. I was fine a good part of the season and I just sort of fell apart. I don’t think it was the best Lauryn Williams had to offer so I am really looking forward to turning around and pumping my self and getting ready for these times these girls are going 10.6 and 10.7’s. I would like to be in that same range as everyone else. I am really looking forward to putting my foot forward in my training and getting the best out on the track.

CC: You look forward to the season ahead, what are your plans? LW: I am taking it one day at time right now. I want to make sure I am in proper shape. It is an off-year now (no major championship) so what is important to me is being healthy and not go out there and do anything silly that would not have me ready for Worlds and Olympics in the following two years. I want to really work on my technique and the details. The theme for my coaching staff and I for this year is ‘’slowly but surely”. We are not going to try to rush anything. Usually you have to do so much in the fall. This time we are taking it slowly but surely and pay attention to the details and try to make the most of that and be prepared for 2011, 2012.

CC: Do you have plans to run indoors and why? LW: I had not made any plans yet as I said one day at time. When January comes around my coach will evaluate that and advise me.

CC: Are you planning to run at the World Indoor in Doha? LW: I have not thought of World Indoor as yet. It is not a big deal as a World Outdoor or the Olympics.

CC: You have not won any medals since 2007? What do think is responsible for that? LW: I think in 2008 I came out a little bit short. I was ready, I was fit. At the end of the day you could have eight people on the line who are capable of running the same time. Everybody can’t do it all at the same race otherwise you would have an eight person photo finish and (that) don’t happen often or ever.

CC: You are known to be a championship performer. You come through the season just among the rest and one can expect at a major championship Lauryn Williams is going to show up. What do you think is responsible for that tenacity for championships? LW: I have to give my coach (Amy Deem) the credit for that. She makes sure I am ready to peak at the right time. You know I will love to be dominating and winning all the races all year long and go to Worlds and win that too. It is always a process, everything is a process. I put out good times sometimes but not always the winning times. We are always working as I said to get technically in shape and race shape. I am always ready to get ready by the time we get to major championships because we set the schedule up to do just that.

CC: Carmelita Jeter was been one of the surprises of the 2009 season, becoming the second fastest female sprinter all-time. What are your views of her performances? LW: Her performances are amazing, you know the second fastest in history. It is something definitely everybody has been gunning for, getting the times down. You see the 10.8’s sometimes.  I think for women it is a little bit harder for women to be consistent and she was very fortunate to not only be consistent but to start the season off healthy the whole time. 10.8 has been kind of the bar for the fastest run each year and to come on down all the way to 10.6 is great. We had a lot of 10.7’s run last year. It is just a matter of being healthy and everybody stepping up their game a notch.

CC: Jamaica vs the US. Who do you think have the better sprinters? LW: Hmmm, I don’t see that there is one better than the other. I think the rivalry is good for the sport, for the media to cover it. But at the end of the day this is one world, one planet, one people.  We should walk off the track and it should not be US versus Jamaica.  I think some people are trying to make it so big that it creates a lot of tension and I don’t think that’s really the way the athletes see it. We all get along really good. Everybody is going to train to represent their country to the best of their ability. So, one is not better than the other. They are both very well right now.

CC: Lauryn, you have been one of the new faces of American sprinting after the drug-use, drug allegation period. What are your views on the current status of American sprinting and the issue of clean track and field? LW: I think that is one of the major things about me. The media continue to cover me even though I have not gotten a medal in the last two years.  At the end of the day the race is what is important. That is what gives you a platform to speak to people but your character is even more important so I could rest my head at night and know I didn’t do anything that would jeopardize what people think of me as far as being an athlete. Even my body, as a woman you would want no child born years from now with three eyes and twelve toes. There is never been an issue for me thinking about using drugs because my character is something that once you damage it, it is hard to repair.  I have said I want to represent the kids. I make sure I can give to the community. Your character at the end of the day is something you are going to have far after track and field is over. You have to make sure you don’t damage it.

(trackalerts.com)
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