Sunday, July 4, 2010

12.90...Got the Fireworks Started Early!


On the eve of the Fourth of July, a holiday known for fireworks, myself and a lot of other athletes got the fireworks started a day early out in Eugene, Oregon.

I am very happy with my performance today at the Nike Prefontaine Classic. I guess that would sound like a bit of an understatement, but even though I ran the American Record and produced the fastest time ever run on American soil, I am always looking for more ways to go faster.

I work my mom's nerves with that too LOL, I enjoy my previous performances for a short period of time and get to talking about ways I messed up in the race. She really dislikes that, but I can't help it. I think that is one thing that makes me a successful athlete, I strive for more and more and more always, no matter what I run.

As I sit in my hotel room and type this, it hasn't set in what I accomplished out at the track today. One thing I know for sure that totally blows me away when I think about it is, of all of the great 110 hurdlers this country has produced, from the Allen Johnson's to the Renaldo Niehimiah's to the Roger Kingdom's, I am the fastest hurdler to ever don the red, white and blue.

What's more remarkable is this is from me, a guy that was the 32 ranked hurdler in America in 2004, no hype out of high school or college and had to grind for every last thing I've gotten from this sport. I feel that I can be a real inspiration to younger athletes, you don't have to be the best coming up, but if you work hard and listen to the people that have your best interest at heart, you can be successful.

To the race itself, I felt very good in my warm up. In these one-off races, I try to warm up so hard so that when I get to the actual race, it feels like my second effort of the day. It is funny when I am in the back in the warm up area because that is where races are won and lost 90% of the time.

I don't remember very much from the race to be honest, but I knew when I was running that I was stepping!

I was far from shocked or surprised when I looked over at the clock and saw 12.90, I was waiting to hear what the wind on it was. I didn't think it was wind aided, but when he said "+1.6, legal wind" it just confirmed it and I was very happy.

I ran 12.89 windy in 2008 at the Olympic Trails and Brooks always says, what you can do windy, you can do legal and I almost did just that.

The most important thing is that I will come away from this meet still healthy and able to continue on my season. I am 100% genuine when I tell people that everytime I come to a meet, it is a celebration to me. The agony of being out nearly three months last year really made me appreciate what it is that I am doing and I have found competition to be much easier in the process.

I don't worry about competing or hoping to run fast etc, I just am happy for the fact that I have the opportunity to race over ten hurdles and show the world what I can do. I realize it is not my birthright to be out at any meet competing.


I absolutely love the crowds in Eugene! They are great. I don't know if people understand that we feed off the energy from the crowd, they fuel most of the performances that happen on the track.

This year's Prefontaine Classic was the best meet I have ever seen outside of an Olympic Games from a times standpoint. From the woman's 100 meters to the men's mile races, everybody was rolling! I was named athlete of the meet and awarded a plaque named in honor of the great Maria Mutola. Given all the great performances that took place today, really means a lot to me.

Now I will be returning home feeling even better than when I left. Won the US title again, ran a couple more sub 13's and will go back to Florida as the American Record holder. There is more left in the tank and a few tweaks I can make as well. I am looking forward to the rest of the season for sure!

**Photos courtesy of Errol Anderson**

17 comments:

Nellie said...

Congratulations again! Your doing such an amazing job this year. Your work ethic is truly aspiring and it shows at each meet. Being the American record holder is an astonishing accomplishment. I am rooting for you to reach your goal on obtaining that world record title. Again congratulations David and God bless.

joy(from Shanghai) said...

GREAT! Congratulations! 12.90!I am sure you will break the world record this year!

joy(from Shanghai) said...

GREAT! Congratulations! 12.90!I am sure you will break the world record this year!

DCBrown said...

Congratulations David on another great race. From winning, to tie the American record, to become the Athlete of the Meet, and to setting another personal best...you had a great race yesterday.

I also want to say it is so great and humbling to know that you know the world doesn't owe you anything and your gift is from God. Also to see that you genuinely enjoy giving back to the community by taking part in the students' "American Idol".

I still can't believe you are the same "Single Man of the Month" that's featured in my April edition Essence magazine. Too bad that e-mail address is not working...it would have been a pleasure to converse with you.

Congrats on another great race and continue to strive for your goals.

ejheat said...

Congrats on an incredible accomplishment with your American Record! Even though your 12.90 tied Arnold for the best American time ever, I believe it is more special because you are the only 1 to DO it on good old USA soil on the eve of the birthday of our great country! Like I said in my last comments, you like to be 1st at everything you DO, & be #1! "Put your 1's in the air, put your 1's in the air!" That got a good beat & ring to it! Can you here me now? Because this is another special occasion which I love so much, & please keep these special occasions going, I had to get my dystonic fingers typing for you because you're so special to me! Your blog father has spoken!!!!

Me & Coach E did our DO it again dystonic dance celebration for you with our OOM-PA-PA hip swivel twist & shout! Coach E had his duck diapers on for you being that you were in Eugene & even he was so excited that he DO DO'd in his duck diaper & was dirty diaper duck dancing while being at a loss for words for how incredibly awesome your accomplishment was in duckland, but his continued & ever growing enzyte Bob smile said it all! Can you imagine how BIG his enzyte Bob smile will get if you get a World Record?! Knowing you the way I DO, I know you will keep racing until you DO it! You can DO it in this 2010 season! I got goosebumps while typing right now just thinking about it!

1 of your 25,000 EJHEAT HOT rollaway beds was yours on Saturday shaped like a duck with even quicker 12.90 neon lights flashing with all kinds of fireworks, bells, & whistles! It was a perfect 12.90 American Record EJHEAT HOT rollaway bed, as well as, fitted just for a King with half your King David Oliver massive shoulders & legs of your body on & off the bed! Of course, your bed is going zoom, zoom, zoom over those hurdles at 12.90! There is 1 of your 25,000 EJHEAT HOT WR rollaway beds in my EJHEAT layaway rollaway bed garage ready to be yours, King David Oliver!

Congrats on being the Visa athlete of the meet, too! With that field of track & field athletes, that is another awesome accomplishment! You didn't get 25,000 stacks, chips, mula, I mean money, whatever, but you did get 10% of those stacks, chips, mula,I mean money, whatever, back from being Visa athlete of the meet! I'm adding 2500 more blue batons & Coach E diapers for you as well! Because of the severe dystonia in my right hand, I now hold my blue baton in my somewhat less dystonia left hand during your races in honor of the left handed Mr Essence, Mr 303, I mean King David Oliver, whatever! My blue baton is right on, I mean left, whatever, in my sobefit left hand, Mr Sobefit, I mean, King David Oliver, whatever! There must be some right-center field magic in my blue batons for my right hand, I mean left hand, whatever! Keep the EJHEAT HOT fireworks going with your OOM-PA-PA & legs moving over those hurdles, Oliver, with 12.90 on the DO scale & getting lower & lower & better & better to you know what, Oliver! That deserves 12.90 OOM-PA-PA & Hoopty Doo chants or 1 DO it up BIG OOM-PA-PA & Hoopty DO! That is the bottom line because "We've Only Just Begun" me & "It's My Life" Coach E said so!!!!

Eric

ejheat said...

Congrats on an incredible accomplishment with your American Record! Even though your 12.90 tied Arnold for the best American time ever, I believe it is more special because you are the only 1 to DO it on good old USA soil on the eve of the birthday of our great country! Like I said in my last comments, you like to be 1st at everything you DO, & be #1! "Put your 1's in the air, put your 1's in the air!" That got a good beat & ring to it! Can you here me now? Because this is another special occasion which I love so much, & please keep these special occasions going, I had to get my dystonic fingers typing for you because you're so special to me! Your blog father has spoken!!!!
Me & Coach E did our DO it again dystonic dance celebration for you with our OOM-PA-PA hip swivel twist & shout! Coach E had his duck diapers on for you being that you were in Eugene & even he was so excited that he DO DO'd in his duck diaper & was dirty diaper duck dancing while being at a loss for words for how incredibly awesome your accomplishment was in duckland, but his continued & ever growing enzyte Bob smile said it all! Can you imagine how BIG his enzyte Bob smile will get if you get a World Record?! Knowing you the way I DO, I know you will keep racing until you DO it! You can DO it in this 2010 season! I got goosebumps while typing right now just thinking about it!
1 of your 25,000 EJHEAT HOT rollaway beds was yours on Saturday shaped like a duck with even quicker 12.90 neon lights flashing with all kinds of fireworks, bells, & whistles! It was a perfect 12.90 American Record EJHEAT HOT rollaway bed, as well as, fitted just for a King with half your King David Oliver massive shoulders & legs of your body on & off the bed! Of course, your bed is going zoom, zoom, zoom over those hurdles at 12.90! There is 1 of your 25,000 EJHEAT HOT WR rollaway beds in my EJHEAT layaway rollaway bed garage ready to be yours, King David Oliver!
Congrats on being the Visa athlete of the meet, too! With that field of track & field athletes, that is another awesome accomplishment! You didn't get 25,000 stacks, chips, mula, I mean money, whatever, but you did get 10% of those stacks, chips, mula,I mean money, whatever, back from being Visa athlete of the meet! I'm adding 2500 more blue batons & Coach E diapers for you as well! Because of the severe dystonia in my right hand, I now hold my blue baton in my somewhat less dystonia left hand during your races in honor of the left handed Mr Essence, Mr 303, I mean King David Oliver, whatever! My blue baton is right on, I mean left, whatever, in my sobefit left hand, Mr Sobefit, I mean, King David Oliver, whatever! There must be some right-center field magic in my blue batons for my right hand, I mean left hand, whatever! Keep the EJHEAT HOT fireworks going with your OOM-PA-PA & legs moving over those hurdles, Oliver, with 12.90 on the DO scale & getting lower & lower & better & better to you know what, Oliver! That deserves 12.90 OOM-PA-PA & Hoopty Doo chants or 1 DO it up BIG OOM-PA-PA & Hoopty DO! That is the bottom line because "We've Only Just Begun" me & "It's My Life" Coach E said so!!!!

Eric

Anonymous said...

Wow! Good job, David! Beat DAYRON ROBLES!

Wendi said...

Congrats David! You have your goal in sight and you WILL accomplish it I am sure. Just keep saying it aloud and it WILL manifest itself!
remember...

The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.

Wendi

Aunt Celest said...

Congratulations once again! What a year your having, and you so deserve it. I know your mother is so proud of you. So many blessing are coming your way. You give back, look back, and help serve our youth. Your an excellent role model. Keep up the good work.

Mark Pryor said...

David, that was a hell of a run. Congrats man. I like the way you gave props to Allen, Kingdom, Renaldo et al. Stay healthy and I hope you fly in Europe!!!!

chrissy said...

Hi david!
That meet was awesome! you seem so effortless when you run and it amazes me that your such a big guy! when is your next meet?

Brianna said...

congrats!!! that is awesome

Chaste said...

Congratulations!

Chaste said...

Congratulations!

LaLa said...

Love it! You know how to tell a story David. Thanks for keeping us up to date. Did you get a chance to go out in Oregon, any nightlife?

Lincoln said...

Good work lad, smashed it, saw it in Asutralia.

Anonymous said...

David your the truth. Period!