London Test Event: Flash Quotes

Here are the reactions from the athletes!   Les 1/32e et 1/16e de finale se sont terminés samedi, les matches des hommes et des femmes se jouant en alternance. Voici les réactions des athlètes!   1/16 Eliminations Recurve Men   Pedro VIVAS ALCALA (MEX)   On his ambitions at the London Archery Classic:   “All I’m aiming for is to win the competition and if I cannot do that, then I aim to finish on the podium. I am here to win a medal.”   On the long wait to start his individual rounds:   “I’m relieved to have started. Now it is the time when all the good archers are in the competition and I will have to try harder.”   Anton PRILEPAU (BLR)   On his nerves:   “I was very nervous. I got worried.”   On his plans in London:   “I want to do all the tourist things like visit the Tower of London and Big Ben.”   Haziq KAMARUDDIN (MAS)   On how he achieved the win:   “I used my skill and I also felt good so the two things combined well for me.”   On his chances for London 2012:   “I think I have a good chance and can do well.”   On his plans for the afternoon:   “More shooting and general training. I will shoot about another 150 arrows before I leave today.”   Juan Rene SERRANO (MEX)   On the match:   “KAMARUDDIN was more focussed and consistent. I made two mistakes which cost me the match.”   On the venue:   “It’s a great place, good facilities and good for the Olympics too.”   On the next few days:   “I will be seeing Buckingham Palace and the gardens (parks) while I’m in London.”   Takaharu FURUKAWA (JPN)   On his form:   “I did not score well during the practice session yesterday, but my concentration started to focus in the middle of the first round. In the second round, too, the good mental concentration continued.”   On today’s cold weather:   “I did not have any problem at all.”   On the higher ranked opponent:   “It did not affect my game.”   DAI Xiaoxiang (CHN)   On the defeat:   “It’s my fault I lost but the weather was also influential. I did not expect it to be this cold in London.”   On his busy schedule:   “I have been flying everywhere for the last month, with the World Cup (in Turkey) and China so I am very tired because I have had no time to relax.”   On the new scoring system:   “I like the system. It is fair. Even if you make some mistakes you can win another set and come back. It means everyone has a good chance to win.”   Joe FANCHIN (USA)   On his performance:   “I shot a good game today, really happy to get to shoot at the venue before Olympic time. I am looking forward to coming out on Monday and hopefully shooting as well.”   On the benefits of having a test event at a different time of year:   “It’s OK. I would have liked to compete here in a summer season, but it’s been a busy year, lots of competitions and from a practical point of view it could not have happened any other way. It’s been good to get a feel for the venue even if the conditions may differ slightly next year.”   Maxim KUNDA (BLR)   On his performance:   “What can I say? My performance was a very bad one. But all in all I enjoyed it. I did not do enough analysis while shooting and definitely I have to practise more. I want to get ready for next year.”   On getting the Olympic quota places for Belarus:   “At the moment we only have an individual quota for the women. We will try to get some more for the men team too. I would really like to come back here next year and I know that I have to work hard to achieve this goal.”   Luis Eduardo VELEZ SANCHEZ (MEX)   On winning in straight sets:   “I was nervous. When you win the sets, you can feel the pressure with each arrow.”   On his preparation for his 1/8 elimination match on Monday:   “I will be playing the match over in my head and trying to fix the mistakes I made from this game. I have a good feeling for the Olympics, it’s very good venue, a really nice place to shoot.”   Michele FRANGILLI (ITA)   On losing:   “I do not understand it. My arrows were not going where they were supposed to go. The fact is that the air seems still but in the middle of the field it is windy.”   “And you cannot notice that until it is too late. I won the 1/32 match beating HENCKELS (LUX) by a 3mm distance. It was a matter of luck, I know.”   On shooting in the dark:   “It is a bit strange shooting outdoor in October, but what is even stranger is the fact that normally with this light in the evening it is the time for me to go home.”   “I had difficulties while aiming because it is too dark to shoot now. The temperature is fine, though. I am accustomed to it. But I am sure that with five degrees more I would have shot better.”   On being one of the oldest archers:   “I will do my best as long as I am not too old to shoot well (laughs). However, you know, Archery is ageless.”   “I shot my first arrow when I was five years old and I did my first competition when I was 10. This year I am celebrating my 25 years of competition and next year it will be the 19th anniversary of my first international senior debut.”   On why he will not be a tourist in London:   “I will not go sightseeing. I never go sightseeing when I am abroad for a competition. I do not like to play the tourist while I am abroad as an athlete.”   “In the last 10 years my normal daily schedule has always been like this: hotel, field of play, hotel, field of play. Eating. Sleeping.”   “I spend time going around the city in which the competition takes place only when I am lots of time zones far away from home, so I play the tourist to get tired.”   “Otherwise I prefer not to lose concentration. Going only from the hotel to the field and back I can stay focused on what I have to do while shooting.”   Khairul Anuar MOHAMAD (MAS)   On his performance:   “I did my best under the poor light and shot with my heart to make up for it.”   On London 2012 Olympic Games:   “I have already qualified for London 2012 so now I just want to concentrate on doing my best shooting before I return.”   CHEN Wenyuan (CHN)   On his performance:   “The performance was OK but the competitor was too strong. I think I can do better.”   On the fading light:   “It was all right about the dark.”   1/32 Eliminations Recurve Men   Marco GALIAZZO (ITA)   On losing:   “I think this was a really good match. We both scored the same good arrows and I lost at the shoot-off. I was distracted by some noises and I scored a nine. I think it (the noise) was made by one of the photographers while opening or closing his bag.”   “However I could have shot a 10, but PRILEPAU scored a perfect X10, so I could have lost anyway. He shot better than me today. Now I will think about my very next competition. There is no point in thinking about the Olympics already. I always do everything step by step.”   On the set system:   “This is the advantage of the eliminations with the set system: you may be No. 10 in the world ranking, as I am, and be beaten by someone ranked below the 200th place. Everything depends on the moment.”   “You could have shot a perfect qualification round and then you may lose in the elimination. Or just the opposite.”   On the venue:   “I think this is a very distracting field of play. The venue is really big, maybe too big. We are not used to it.”   “I know there will be built some tribunes next year, but they could have put some fake walls, or a large sheet, just to let us understand what the final result will look like. And maybe to stop the wind too.”                           On the London Archery Classic:   “This test event is useless for us. We will be shooting in summer and, since it is very cold now, here we cannot acclimatise. The Organising Committee should have picked some archers from the UK to test the procedures and the schedules.”   “Considering the fact that everything will be different next year, there was no need to ask us all to come now at this test. This competition did not help us to get ready for the Olympic Games.”   Aki VIRTANEN (FIN)   On the test event:   “This is the highest quality competition I have been shooting at. The last high quality one was this summer in Turin (World Archery Championships 2011).”   “Here there is a special atmosphere, I do know why but I really like it. Maybe it is because we are shooting in the middle of the stadium and this happens to you only if you are shooting at a very high level, but here everyone has a chance to shoot in front of lots of spectators. The organisation is so functional and perfect, that makes this event even more valuable.”   On the set system:   “I think the set system is very good, I love it. It gives you some more rooms for mistakes and bad arrows. Even if you screwed up a set, you still have chances to improve from there and win.”   Maciej FALDZINSKI (POL)   On his first competition at this level:   “For me it was very difficult because this was the first time in my life I have competed at this level. It has been very good experience for me.   “I have shot this scoring format before, of course, and it is much better because you always have a chance to recover from a bad end. This makes the competition more interesting.”   On his chances of making the Polish team for London 2012:   “I hope so. I am confident but there is always competition for the places. I shall keep practising between now and when I return home next Tuesday.”   Siosifa TAUMOEPEAU (TGA)   On his poor performance:   “No excuses really. My fault I guess. I completed a coaching course in Egypt only three weeks ago and changed my style but it didn’t work so I guess I’m going to have to rethink it.”   On his plans for the future:   “I’ve been to a few world championships and qualified for Athens (2004 Olympic Games) so archery has been good to me. I have been sponsored by FITA so have visited lots of different countries and now I want to give something back.”   “I aim to coach the Tongan team with the aim of achieving Tonga’s first gold medal in five years’ time with our up and coming young archers. I believe it is possible.”   Taylor WORTH (AUS)   On his performance:    “It was OK but I’m still capable of making silly mistakes. I need to work on them.”   On the venue:   “Fantastic venue, fantastic atmosphere and it is Lord’s after all. The winds do have a swirling effect but archers have to deal with changing conditions all the time.”   Vetle RISINGGARD (NOR)   On today’s match:   “It was not a great performance, overall, for me, it was about average. I think my nerves got to me in the last set.”   On his hopes for the London 2012 Olympic Games:   “My hope is that Norway qualifies a team, the competition for spots is high and there are other guys ranked higher than me (laughs).”   Jeff HENCKELS (LUX)   On the shoot-off:   “I shot a few bad arrows, but I hoped for a shoot off. I think we had the most interesting match.”   On the closeness of the shoot-off:   “It was only a 2mm difference, so next year I will get it to 1mm.”   Elias CUESTA (ESP)   On the shoot-out:   “I am happy with the shot; it was less than a millimetre but still a 10.”   On the week at Lord’s:   “All is perfect, the training ground is perfect, the ground is perfect and the atmosphere of the place is perfect.”   On the introduction of the tribunes for London 2012 Olympic Games:   “When they put the tribunes in it will change the wind directions, there will be much less cross-wind and I will have to work with that when the time comes.”   1/16 Eliminations Recurve Women   Miranda LEEK (USA)   On her surprise win:   “I didn’t know who I was going to be shooting against until I saw her in the lounge so I just got on with it. I’m still vibrating with nerves. I was pretty nervous and it’s kind of a big deal when you’re up against such revered opposition.”   On the final-arrow decider:    “My nerves tripled. I thought ‘Let’s just get this done with’. You’re supposed to say that you don’t think anything about the score.”   “I just went back to process, perform A, B and C and stick with that. You have to put it out of your mind but, no matter how much you try, it is there at the last split second just before you release.”   On her secret weapon:   “It was cold but I have this secret weapon hand-warmer in my pocket.”   On her experience at Lord’s:   “In Croatia I was completely in awe of the other competitors. Here, I’m more relaxed and it gives me the chance to get more comfortable, get used to this really cool environment and do my best ready for next year.”   Natalia VALEEVA (ITA)   On her performance:   “The first thee arrows I shot very low, I have not found the right aiming point yet. This is the reason why I lost. I hoped I could have shot the shoot-off arrow but I was smashed by the American.”   On the venue:   “I like being here, I really like this venue because it is huge. Next year it will be different, I know, so let’s see what will happen.”   On her expectations for the London 2012 Olympic Games:   “It is too early now to think about shooting at the Olympics. I will think about next year next year, not earlier.”   Kateri VRAKKING (CAN)   On the opportunity of shooting at Lord’s:   “I think this venue is pretty cool. I am glad we had the chance to come down here and shoot. I am lacking in the history of the ground but I see it is very historical, very sacred to the cricketers.”   “This a good play for archery even if it is a bit too windy somehow. Today it was better, the wind is much quieter. Otherwise everything is swirling and there is a lack of wind info on the field. But it is the same for everybody. We all have the same info, so it is fair.”   On her next competition:   “I am not going back home. We will fly from London straight to Guadalajara to shoot at the Pan-American Games. We will meet the rest of the team there in Guadalajara, so let’s see how it goes.”   HAN Gyeonghee (KOR)   On her shoot-off victory:   “I am happy with the result but I am not happy with my performance which did not go as well as I practised.”   KI Bo Bae (KOR)   On whom she would like to meet in the 1/8 eliminations:   “It would be nice to meet someone who I know I can beat but, on the other hand, it would make me happier to beat one of the Chinese archers because they are so good and it would be really good to beat them.”   Carina Rosenvinge CHRISTIANSEN (DEN)   On the positives of shooting at Lord’s:   “The venue is awesome, amazing, exciting. I know any sport except cricket has ever had the chance of being here before. It’s a great honour for us having the chance of shooting in such a historical venue.”   On the negatives of shooting at Lord’s:   “The negative side is the weather. Today the air was very still compared to the other days. When I shot with the team it was very windy. The flags and the wind-socks help you understand the direction of the wind, but it is very difficult to shoot here, the conditions change quickly. I misjudged an arrow but it was only my mistake, nothing to do with the wind.”   Kaori KAWANAKA (JPN)   On playing against a British player in Great Britain:   “I wanted to not be affected by my opponent and am glad I could do my best.”   On the next match:   “I want to continue this pace.”   Alison WILLIAMSON (GBR)   On the match:   “For some reason I shot OK in the ranking but it is so difficult when you are up against such high-class archers.”   On having a bye:   “I got a bye through the 1/32 round because of my higher ranking and, when warming up on the edge of the field, I was actually shooting while my two possible opponents were shooting their competitive round so I was actually shooting against them as well.   “Maybe her ranking (round) on Monday didn’t really represent her true form. So you hear the scores (10s) and you know there is some stiff opposition out there.”   On being motivated by the England cricket team:   “Being at Lord’s has been great and it has been very motivating to have several players from the world’s No. 1-ranked cricket team (England) here when we’ve been at the ground in the summer.”    “(It’s) Very inspiring to see them putting the hard work in and very motivating. We try to emulate that work ethic.”   Nami HAYAKAWA (JPN)   On her form:   “I felt the usual pressure today.”   On her overall performance:   “More time was needed to focus on the target, but the result did not reflect the effort.”   On preparing for her next match:   “I would aim to relax more. If the match happens to be against my team member, that will be also good.”   Magali FOULON (ESP)   On her performance:   “I was nervous all the match and trying to control my nerves. I noticed that HAYAKAWA was also nervous so it was the same for both of us. So, I suppose I am happy overall with my performance.”   On the fading light:   “I could see the targets OK but having the bright scoreboard just a few metres in front of me, between me and the target, did affect my pupils so it made focussing on the target harder than normal.”   Guendalina SARTORI (ITA)   On her performance:   “I cannot believe it. I did not believe I would have won also the second match. I really like this field even if now it is pretty dark.   “Some of the other archers were complaining about the big video wall, but honestly that did not bother me. When I am shooting the only thing I see is the target.   “And I try not to think about anything. I am just thinking of what I have to do to shoot a good arrow. I still do not know who will I meet in the 1/8 match, but we are all shooting at a high level, we all need to shoot well.”   LE Chieh-Ying (TPE)   On the performance:   “It was OK but not as good as I hoped. I still have to make some adjustments.”   On the weather:   “It’s a bit dark but it’s the same for everybody so I cannot blame the dark. It did not affect me. But it was a bit cold.”   On losing to a lower-ranked rival:   “The first day of the ranking round was quite windy so it was unpredictable so it is not surprising that a lower-ranked competitor can beat me.”   1/32 Eliminations Recurve Women   Celine SCHOBINGER (SUI)   On her performance:   “My shooting was not bad so I did my job. Unfortunately I didn’t have all the luck I’d have liked but at least I can say that my shooting was good so next time it will be better.”   “I don’t know what happened when I shot the six but these things happen.”   On competing against Miranda LEEK (USA):   “This is the first match we have had against each other. Next time I will win (smiles).”   On her chances for getting into the Swiss team for London 2012:   “We have a chance to qualify for the Olympics in one of the World Cup competitions next year and I think we can get the response and hopefully I will be there again next year. There are only three girls in the Swiss team so we just have to make the spot to qualify to be here. ”   Kateryna YAVORSKA (UKR)   On losing in a shoot-off:   “It was a hard match, very close. It was not good to lose like that but my last arrow was so bad. Carina was very good however but you are always nervous under these conditions. The shoot-off gives you nerves every time.”   On her preparations for London 2012 Olympic Games:   “I’ll be using the forthcoming competitions to prepare for the Olympic Games and to make our teams. At the moment we have six good archers competing for three places.”   On her plans for the next few days:   “Of course I want to see London. It is very interesting for me and for all of us so we will be taking some excursions which we have planned.”   Inna STEPANOVA (RUS)   On her performance:   “In the first two sets I misjudged, I miscalculated where to aim. Then in the last two sets I shot strongly and fast but I did not win.”   On visiting London:   “I visited some museums in London. I really loved Madame Tussauds, it was really inspiring. And we also went sightseeing on a big red bus, I really liked it. I am planning to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in the next days.”   By LOCOG ONS London’s Prepare Series