|
Khadevis Robinson won the men's 800m final in 1:45.27.
Q:
Is that really your first outdoor title since '97? [as was announced
at the meet]
Khadevis Robinson:
No, no. Since '99. I won NCAAs in '98, and USA indoors and outdoors
in '99. In 2000, I was in the best shape. I was running faster than
anybody, did everything, then got sick at the Trials and didn't
run well. In '01, I got injured, but still ran faster than everybody.
In 2002, 2003, 2004, I got second!
Q:
Didn't you win indoors in '03 or '04?
KR:
I got second in '03. I haven't run indoors since then, just outdoors.
I've been in very good shape, but some small thing always happens.
This year, I opened up in 1:45 low. I'm training with Johnny [Gray].
Everything's been perfect. I'm getting older. I've won every U.S.
meet there is to win. I've won Prefontaine twice. I've won here
twice. I've won indoors. Now, it's about being able to compete against
international fields, and run faster times. Last year, I was very
consistent running 1:44s over in Europe. I even ran a couple in
the U.S. Now I need to run 1:43s.
What
that means is taking the risk of failure. It's hard to do that,
because you're used to doing well and winning. I took that risk.
Sometimes, you take a risk like that, and you don't run well. But
what if you take a risk, and come through [600m] in 1:15, and for
some reason you feel good that day, you might run fast, right? But
if you never go through in 1:15 or 1:16, you'll never know.
So
now, I'm trying to take risks and going through at that pace. If
I fail two times out of four, I'll take those two times I succeed
and run a fast time. I've noticed that some of the Kenyans do that.
Sometimes we think the Kenyans always run fast. But there are just
a lot of Kenyans. If you look at some of the best, sometimes they
don't run well. Bungei, he ran some races earlier in 1:47, way in
the back of the pack. Yesterday, he ran 1:44.1 at the Kenyan Championships.
Some thing with the Russian [Yuriy Borzakovskiy]. He got beat at
Prefontaine, he got beat over here recently, but I guarantee that
later this year he's going to run well. That's how it is.
But
we never take those risks. I'm trying to get myself to take those
risks. I'm training like crazy. I've got a tape of Johnny Gray in
1992. He ran 1:42.8. He gives me the workouts. Here, at this track,
I came through in 49, 1:16.2, 1:29.30 (for 700m.) It was windy,
just like this. At this track! And I didn't rest for it. I've got
tape. Johnny said, 'Khadevis, you saw what I ran in New Orleans.
Go look at it.' I've got the tape, so I put it in. He came through
the 700 faster, but the 600 and the 400 were the same. All I need
is the last part. He said the only reason I didn't run as fast is
that I'm not relaxing for the 600 through the 800. So now, I've
got to get that compass in myself to do that.
And
now we've got a lot of guys who are courageous, like Alan Webb.
He's not afraid to go out for it. Tim Broe. He's wasn't afraid to
go for it. You've got to do that. You're going to fail sometimes,
and the media are going to talk bad about you. But when you don't
fail, when you keep going, look what Tim Broe did. He got the standard.
That took guts. But he had the standard already. He didn't need
to do that, he has the standard. But he still did it. That's what
it takes.
So
hopefully, I'm going to stay with it, and if I do, I guarantee in
Europe I'm going to be ready for those guys.
(Interview
conducted June 26, 2005)
|
|
|
|
|
Khadevis
Robinson.
(Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)
|
|
