IAAF:IAAF: DeAnna Price of USA won the Hammer Throw GOLD as first for USA at Doha 2019

Press Conference Highlights: Women’s Hammer Throw

Comments from Doha 2019 World Championship medallists DeAnna Price (USA), Joanna Fiodorow (POL) and Zheng Wang (CHN) after the women’s hammer throw at the Khalifa International Stadium on 28 September.

DeAnna Price (USA) – gold
On how the long season rolled for her:
“I started well, but then I had a back problem and wasn’t able to compete. Αt that stage, I was throwing 66-67 metres.

“We discussed with James Lambert my coach who is also my husband, are we going to keep on, or pack up and start from the beginning for Tokyo 2020.

“I remember there was a lot of crying a lot of pain, but fortunately a chiropractor Brian Murer fixed me and I recovered. I am thankful for the support I got from people.”

On if she will change, now that she is a world champion:
“I hope I won’t change. If I ever do it please somebody smack me. I am always nice, I have a good heart. Negative people don’t have a part in my life. Couldn’t be more thankful for the people I have in my life.”

On what message she sends to people:
“Women can be strong and beautiful.”

Joanna Fiodorow (POL) – silver
On how she feels with the medal she won:
“I am so happy. That was a dream come true for me winning that medal at the World Championships. We have a great team in Poland, a very strong team.”

On what she changed in her build-up for the World Championships:
“After the Olympic Games in Rio I decided to make a big step in my career and change my coach. This new partnership eventually paid off.”

On her plans for the following season:
“Today I was second, next time, at the Tokyo Olympics, I want to be the one who is going to win the gold medal.

Zheng Wang (CHN) – bronze
On how she dealt with the tough competition:
“Every time I get into the ring, I stay relaxed, I don’t feel the pressure. I am not getting overwhelmed by competing against the world’s best hammer throwers. I know them and they know me, we are more like a family rather than rivals. During the final we are engouring each other.

On her career in general:
“In the beginning I was not that good, but I stay focused on what I was doing. I kept on believing and now, I am almost 30, but here I am among the world’s best. Others at my age might have already retired. I might not be that young anymore, but I am young at heart.