by Larry Eder
Tianna Bartoletta, 60 meters, Photo by PhotoRun.net
Tianna Bartoletta won her first global medal at the young age of 19. I was there, and was truly impressed with her performance. That sweet moment for Tianna was followed by seven tough years.
Her victory in Rio, with a leap of 7.17 meters to unseat Brittney Reese (in her fifth round jump), the defending champion (7.15 meters), and Ivana Spanovic (7.08 meters) gave her two perfect moments in leaping in 11 years!
Tianna Bartoletta is a fine sprinter, long jumper and also, a bob sledder! We appreciate the quotes from Millrose Game’s Nick Nicholas.
I truly enjoy Tianna Bartoletta. Her game face is real, and she knows what she wants and she will give it her all in each competition. We wish her luck at the 110th Millrose Games, to be held on Saturday, February 11, 2017!
Tianna Bartoletta, photo by PhotoRun.net
To learn more about the 2017 Millrose Games, please go to http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/meet-schedule/. Remember, USATF.TV will show LIVE from 12 Eastern to 4 PM Eastern. NBC will go from 4 PM to 6 PM.
110th NYRR Millrose Games Quotes
Tianna Bartoletta
Question: In 2005 you were a world champion and in 2016 you were an Olympic Gold Medalist. That’s a long career. How do you do it?
Tianna: A very good question. In 2005, I was 19 years old and I won my first world championship. But I lost my way a little bit after that. I felt that I had seen the top of the mountain and made it and grew content. The enemy of great is good, and I settled in a life of mediocrity for about seven years. A good way to extend a career for a long time is to do nothing for a almost a decade (laughter). I met my husband and changed coaches all in the same year. That completely revitalized my life. I made a holistic change; I changed the way lived and changed the way I trained and it really manifested itself on the track. Yes, a lot of time went by, but you are literally seeing a new, happier version Tianna and that’s how I was able to maintain the longevity.
Question: So, marriage is the answer?
Tianna: For me, yes.
Question: You also tried bobsledding. What was that about?
Tianna: (Doing) the bobsled was about staying active after the (Summer) Olympic Games. There is a little bit of a letdown after you bring home a gold medal or any medal from the Olympic Games and you have that moment like, ‘What now?’ In our sport the Olympic Games is the pinnacle and that’s what a lot of people in their career spend their time trying to achieve. Unless you achieve it you’re a little bit lost at sea. Bobsled was a way for me to stay active without actually having to go back to the sport and have that intensity and pressure to be able to deliver. It was a way to stay busy and really fun and cold, very violent, but a good experience. I don’t regret having gone through it.
To learn more about the 2017 Millrose Games, please go to http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/meet-schedule/. Remember, USATF.TV will show LIVE from 12 Eastern to 4 PM Eastern. NBC will go from 4 PM to 6 PM.
