Denver native David Oliver has something that nobody can take away from him ever-the euphoria of medaling in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After dedicating the last four years of his life to accomplishing the ultimate athletic goal with the focus of a circling hawk, there was nothing left to do once Oliver descended on the Bird’s nest but to fly over the Final 110 meter hurdles left in front of him.
The stage was set for Oliver to seize the moment as destiny seem to flower a great circumstance.
Both the defending Olympic gold medalist, China’s Liu Xiang, and the Olympic Trials runner-up, Terrence Trammell, failed to qualify for the last and most important race of their event.
The only man in Oliver’s way was Cuba’s Dayron Robles.
The two men battled all season, alternately posting some of the fastest times on the year. However, Robles made the final statement by listing a new world record time of 12.87 seconds back in June.
Positively, that motivated Oliver to accept a new mission of crossing the finish line in 12.85 seconds.
All Oliver had to do, was do it.
Through the rounds, Oliver looked strong if not dominant-each time reacting to the gun with laser-like instincts.
When his big night finally arrived, Oliver set himself before the starting line, kicked his legs back, dropped his head, and settled into the blocks.
He took a deep breath.
Then…
Oliver described his entire experience Wednesday morning to Fox 31’s Josina Anderson via an email sent from Zurich, where Oliver is currently competing.
In his own words…
From the beginning….Here’s our conversation.
Josina: Can you describe the opening ceremonies? What a magnificent and incredibly expensive looking show.
David: I watched the opening ceremonies from our training camp in Dalian. I had no intentions on going out to the ceremonies, it is an arduous time and I would have lost three training days to attend. It was pretty cool watching it on TV, as I have never watched an opening ceremony. I was asleep before it actually concluded.
Josina: If I was impatiently anticipating the start of track and field, I know you had to be anxious as all you know what being an actual competitor. Right?
David: I was pretty anxious. I was in the village and would see some of the people I know getting ready to head out to compete. I couldn't wait to put on that USA uniform and go out there and represent my country. I had to spend a lot of time preoccupied with other things so I wouldn't expend a lot of nervous energy waiting to get started.
Josina: In the meantime, were you in watching Michael Phelps in awe up close and pesonal or getting annoyed by him from a distance?
David: I wasn't in awe or annoyed by him at all. I wasn't in awe because I had my own business to tend to, so I didn't really pay attention to what was going on. The only race of his I saw was the relay when the anchor leg saved the day for one of his first gold medals. In the Team USA building, I was definitely keeping track of how many gold medals he had. I really wanted to see him accomplish his goal. I wasn't annoyed by him, or his coverage, because he earned every last ounce of attention he received. When you are breaking records and doing unseen things, you should get a lot of attention. In my opinion, Usain Bolt's performances were way better than Phelps. I say that because it is far more difficult to win multiple medals in track and field and set World Records in each of those events than it is in swimming.
Josina: So when track finally started how were you feeling
through the rounds?
David: I was feeling great through the rounds. My main focus was to survive and advance to the next stage. I wanted to win all of my heats as well, which I did. I didn't want to make any serious mistakes in the rounds that would cost me a chance to advance, so I believe that I ran the rounds sort of cautious. I don't think I was the only one that ran that type of way. I know that I saw all that happened throughout the rounds in the women's hurdles and needed to make mental notes of what not to do. In our race, we had four rounds spread out over four days, which was a very new type of schedule for me. I wanted to make sure I conserved enough energy as well. That schedule was not only physically draining, but mentally and emotionally as well.
Josina: Okay so what happened during the Final? Break it down.
David: It was down pouring rain for almost the entire warm-up. I still got a great warm-up in and I was feeling ready to go. For the semifinal round, I didn't feel like I got the type of warm-up I should have, so for the final, I warmed up very aggressively. I was ready to go. I wasn't very nervous at all, I was more anxious and excited than nervous. I didn't run one of my better races of the season though. Coming out of the blocks to the first hurdle, I kind of missed a step at number three or four and that messed up my first hurdle. When my first hurdle is off, I don't tend to run a very good race. I competed very well, which I never worry about. I have supreme faith in my skill set, so I knew just to stay with what I've learned all year and not start to press because that's usually when disaster strikes. I knew about halfway through the race that the Gold was out of sight unless Robles messed up, you can't afford to make a mistake when running against a great talent such as Robles. I knew that I would still get a medal as long as I didn't do something stupid. I stayed in my technique and
finished strong like I normally do and came away with a Bronze Medal.
Josina: You finished with a time of 13.18 seconds. I know you can run faster. You proved that all season. Then your teammate David Payne clipped you for the silver running .01 seconds faster. As soon as I saw your start, I knew the game plan was off. So are you satisfied with that result given the field?
David: To say that I am satisfied with my race or my result would be against our creed as athletes. We are never satisfied with anything involving our athletic performances. We could always do better. I wasn't satisfied because I didn't run the best possible race that I knew I could. Robles wasn't satisfied even though he won the Gold, because he wanted to run the record in the process and he didn't do that. On the other hand, I am very happy that I was able to compete in an Olympic Games, let alone win an Olympic medal. This was just a wild dream to me just a year ago. When I first came over to Europe for my first professional season in 2005, I was basically a 13.4 guy, now I am an all-time performer and an Olympic medalist, crazy! It hasn't even set in yet.
Josina: Yes that is certainly an incredible feat. What are your plans now?
David: My plans for now are just to finish out my season strong. I have a few more races in Europe and I want to have very strong performances at these competitions. They will be a good way to get me back motivated for the fall training and to get my quest started for a gold medal at next year's World Championships in Berlin.
Josina: Well it was good to hear from you, thanks for shouting out Fox 31 sports.
Anderson interviewed Oliver prior to his performance at the USA Olympic Trials. She tracked Oliver's journey to becoming one of the best hurdlers in the world, as well as his realization that Beijing was in his blood.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
