What a great day for the USA – Sanya Richards defeats not only a great field in the women’s 400, but also any demons she had with championship finals. And to end the night’s action, Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson going 1 -3 in the 400 IH.
Richards simply went out and ran her race and did not let anybody shake her. Coming into the finish in the last 10 meters or so she could not control herself and started to celebrate throwing her hands up – punching the sky and flashing a big broad smile. On her victory lap after about 250 meters she stopped to watch the medal ceremony for the women’s 100 and also just to take a minute to herself. As she jogged her lap of honor past me you knew she was not going to be getting too much sleep as she would be up all night too excited to closer her eyes.
In the last race of the night, the men’s 400 IH, Jackson looked like he was shot out of the blocks flying to the first hurdle. Being two lanes outside Clement it seemed to get him moving when they came off that first hurdle and he saw that he was in danger of losing the race by letting Jackson get away. Coming past me at 300 meters Clement had the race pretty much locked up, but Jackson had to fight and claw his way back into the medals and would nail down 3rd.
The event that got the stadium rocking was the women’s javelin where the host country had 3 throwers in the final and would get the eventual winner. The stadium may not be full, but you would not know it by the noise level.
It is hard to believe that we are at the half way point of these championships. Somebody asked me what si my basic schedule – it is not really that different from day to day. Up at 7am check e-mail fast , jump in the shower before others in the apartment (that is key boys and girls). Out the door and heading to the stadium before 8 with a stop at the bakery across the street on the way to the train station. In the press center and have computer set up before 8:30 and then as soon as they open hit Canon to borrow the big lens. From 8:30-10 catch up on things like this before the first events at 10:00. Most am sessions end by 1 and then it is back in the press center to update a few things. There is a long almost 5 hour break between the am and pm sessions so I have toured the city, just hung in the press center, or a day like yesterday go back to the apartment to grab a nap. The action in the stadium starts back up again at 6 and goes till about 10. Back into the media/press center to do 1 or 2 fast updates then pack everything up, return the lens to Canon and head back home. A few nights we have stopped at a small Italian restaurant near the train station back near our base to grab some dinner and take it back to the apartment. A fast dinner then to work on photos from the day, most times work is done between 1:30-2:00 am. Grab 5 hours sleep and then up to do it all over again.
Life is good!
1500 m final on tap Wednesday – cannot wait. Also the final of the women’s 800 and there is a crazy story brewing there.
What a great day for the USA – Sanya Richards defeats not only a great field in the women’s 400, but also any demons she had with championship finals. And to end the night’s action, Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson going 1 -3 in the 400 IH. 
center and have computer set up before 8:30 and then as soon as they open hit Canon to borrow the big lens. From 8:30-10 catch up on things like this before the first events at 10:00. Most am sessions end by 1 and then it is back in the press center to update a few things. There is a long almost 5 hour break between the am and pm sessions so I have toured the city, just hung in the press center, or a day like yesterday go back to the apartment to grab a nap. The action in the stadium starts back up again at 6 and goes till about 10. Back into the media/press center to do 1 or 2 fast updates then pack everything up, return the lens to Canon and head back home. A few nights we have stopped at a small Italian restaurant near the train station back near our base to grab some dinner and take it back to the apartment. A fast dinner then to work on photos from the day, most times work is done between 1:30-2:00 am. Grab 5 hours sleep and then up to do it all over again.
