Flash quotes from the women’s finals

KI Bo Bae (KOR) – gold   On how much pressure she was under to win today: “The result from Beijing loosened the pressure on me. Because in the worst case I would match the performance of the last Olympic Games.”   On how she felt about the final arrow of the fifth set (8) which meant a shoot-off: “The strongest feeling that I have now is that I was really lucky today. At the 2011 I failed and thought that I had to start all over. The major happiness that I can have now is be proud of what I did compared to the previous Korean champions. This time, in the final I thought I could win without going to a shoot-off, but the wind had a major impact. After losing the fifth set I still felt like I had a chance.”   On how she felt during the shoot-off, knowing she had also been the last shooter in the team final: “I have been training so hard so there was not that much pressure, however just before I shot I could feel that there was a lot of wind. The spectators were very surprised to see me shoot an 8. Actually I didn’t see the last arrow shot by Aida because I was praying. Finally the gold medal was meant for me. There was so much wind in this area that you have to shoot a very fast shot.”   On having more experienced teammates give her advice before the match: “Just before the final match, LEE Sung Jin came to see me. I could see that she had cried, and she told me she was sorry about not being there with me in the final. After the match, she came to congratulate me.”   On the tears that she has cried today: “It’s tears of joy, and also at the same time I feel so sorry for my teammates and about the fact that I’m the only Korean on the podium.”   On Lord’s Cricket Ground: “Last year I took part in the Test Event and the coach told us about the history of Lord’s. Today I could really feel that it is a really famous stadium here.”   Aida ROMAN (MEX) - silver   On how she managed to support Mariana AVITIA, yet focus on her performance: “I was really happy at having come up against Mariana in the semifinal. I felt much more relaxed shooting against her. We are a team whether we are competing in the team or individual event. We are on the same level. Sometimes it’s better for me, sometimes it is better for her. I was relaxed and in control.”   On her tough quarterfinal (against LEE Sung Jin, KOR) and her semifinal against her Mexican teammate (Aida ROMAN, MEX): “The quarterfinal was extremely nerve-racking. I tried very hard to control my nerves and do my best. Against Aida (ROMAN), I wasn’t shooting that well - I didn’t know exactly where to aim my arrows.”   On the position of the Mexican coach (WOONG Lee, KOR) during the all-Mexico semifinal:
“He was going to go behind us both but was told that wasn’t an option. His instructions to us were to focus on our techniques and remain calm and do what we normally do in practice. But most of all he told us to enjoy the experience.”   On the last arrow, where she had an 8 to beat: “Strictly speaking, it shouldn’t have been that difficult a shot. I always tend to aim towards the figure three on a clock. I wasn’t sure about the wind and it was difficult for me. Unfortunately it went towards the nine on the clock.”   On the stress: “Usually it doesn’t cost me much to sleep. Yet for some reason I woke up in the middle of the night and found it difficult to go back to sleep. I told myself to not worry too much. What made me more nervous is that I had to face a Japanese archer in my first match, and they had defeated us in the team competition. They had shot so well under the rain and made us feel bad. This morning, I woke up early, at 5:30, and I did my usual routine, I rushed up the stairs like Rocky (BALBOA) and told Mariana, ‘we can win this’, and she said she felt so too. I was sad when I saw all our guys lose their matches yesterday. I just took it arrow by arrow, not thinking about the next match. Because if you think too far ahead, you go absolutely nowhere. I really enjoyed these moments.”   On sharing the podium with Mariana AVITIA: “I am very happy and proud to be sharing this podium with Mariana. We have put in so much hard work into archery and it is paying off. I am so grateful to everybody who has supported us.”   On what she talked about with the President of Mexico: “He congratulated me and asked what happened with the final 8. I told him don’t worry, we both had the same score, we both shot very well.”   On her win (first Olympic archery medals in Mexico’s history): “Thank you to all the people that never lost hope. Mexico has made history. It feels incredible. I have been trying my whole life and I have made it. The medal is for me, my family, all my supporters, and of course, Mexico.”   On her feelings: “I feel happiness and justice for our hard work. We have been from the crack of dawn until dusk, like all the other members of the Mexican delegation. I came here with the hope of a medal and I didn’t want to be frustrated after the team event. That’s also something that kept me from sleeping! I wanted to do justice to all these years of hard work. We have sacrificed so much for this sport, but now thanks to this sport we are on this side of the table (at the press conference).”   On Lord’s Cricket Ground: “The stadium is very impressive. It is also the stadium were we have been crowned, so maybe it should be a shrine for us.”     Mariana AVITIA (MEX) - bronze   On how she managed to support Aida ROMAN yet focus on her performance: “In my match against the LEE Sung Jin, I felt nervous but I tried to control myself and do my best. Nothing is impossible and it turned out well. I didn’t shoot so well against Aida, but thank God we things turned out well and we both got a medal.”   On teammate Aida ROMAN (MEX) reaching the final: “Sharing the podium with Aida couldn’t make me happier. I feel so happy. There are no words to express how I feel. Is this really happening? Is this real?”   On winning an individual medal while the team seemed like a better shot at a medal: “We didn’t make the final as a team, but we were confident and we tried to do our best and stay focused, and do what we normally do. I’m delighted with the results. I felt a little nervous the day before, and I tried to relax and not think too much about what was going to happen. Today everything went well and I’m thrilled with the results.”   On the phone call with the president of Mexico Felipe CALDERON:  “The President of Mexico was in a meeting when we shot, and he was told that we had won two medals. He told me that he was very proud and that we are showing a great example to the kids.”   On qualifying for the Olympic Games only in June: “I think it helped us because it gave us confidence. We thought maybe we could get a good result, not only in the team competition but also in the individual event. I had never been in a final before, and I’m very happy to have done it in an Olympic Games!”   On the feelings she experiences: “I always wondered when I watched the previous Olympics, I often wondered what they were feeling when they receive their medals. And today I got to live that. It’s a huge emotion, I’ve been working four years towards this, towards something that I really really want. That’s why I am smiling from ear to ear.”   Ksenia PEROVA (RUS)   On her disappointment about the outcome of the last match:
“It is so sad that I couldn’t get a medal. I felt really good psychologically before meeting my opponent. I know the Koreans are really strong, but I still knew that I could beat her. If the last arrow in the first set had been good, I think I could have won. The problem is that I couldn’t judge the wind properly. One windsock showed the wind blowing in one direction while the other windsock showed it blowing in another. And because I couldn’t judge the wind, I ended up using more guesswork than judgment.”   On her plans: “You’ll see me in Rio for the next Olympics. That’s where I’ll win against the Koreans - even if they’ve not been beaten for the last 20 years.”   On how much she enjoyed her matches: “I really enjoyed the match with Natalia VALEEVA (ITA) because she’s a very strong athlete. I enjoyed it especially because I met her at the world championships last winter and I lost to her, so I felt I had really achieved something when I beat her this time.”   Pia LIONETTI (ITA)   On her defeat: “I feel bad. I thought I was going to go further. I prepared myself, both for the team and individual events but I didn’t have the mathematical hope because I am 64th in the world. I have given the best I could but unfortunately you can’t tell what the wind is going to do.”   On her plans: “I am going to start training for the next Olympics - I don’t know what surprises the next four years will hold. I am training on my own now. “   On her advice to young archers: “The only thing is you have to believe in the dreams that you have because you can realise them.”   On her coach, Vincenzo LIONETTI (ITA): “My coach is my brother. He is very proud of me.”   On the Olympic Games: “My first Olympics (2008) was a disaster. The second (2012) was better. Let’s hope we can get a medal at the third (2016) one.”   On her overall performance at London 2012: “The team event is the biggest event but we did not think we would get anywhere, though the training points we were getting would have been enough to get us an Olympic medal. I got it wrong and did not read the wind properly (in the team round).”   Berengere SCHUH (FRA)   On LORIG performance in winning the match: “Khatuna was a very strong opponent and I will have to accept that she was better than me today.”   On what she plans to do after her appearance in the Olympic Games: “I will compete in the French championships but my goal there has to be just to qualify. From there I start from zero. I hope to be at the next Olympics in Rio (2016) as well.”   Khatuna LORIG (USA)   On her defeat: “I was really close in both the semifinal and the bronze medal match. It is more about luck than usual, the wind is tricky. The wind is just not readable and hard to predict. You have to get lucky and maybe I’m just not lucky. I’ll have to come back in 2016 in Rio."   “This is the first time I’ve got so close and not won a medal. Last time (at Barcelona 1992) we got the bronze medal for the Soviet Union. I feel terrible. I just have to go back and train more.”   LEE Kisik (KOR) - USA coach   On the bronze medal match: “I want to congratulate Mexico on their first medal but the stadium has problems. You cannot tell the direction of the wind. It is all random. I hope that Khatuna (LORIG) will be available for the next Olympics (Rio, 2016).”   ONS / World Archery Communication