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INFO
Quotes from Natalie
2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
[On her 100 back semi at 2005 Worlds] "I was lucky to have a fast heat. I knew exactly what I needed to do, having Kirsty (Coventry) on one side and the German girl (Antje Buschschulte) on the other side. It was a good semi-finals and I am exactly where I wanted to be for tomorrow night. It’s a nice pool, I was glad the sun set a little earlier so it wasn’t directly in my eyes, it was good. I said yesterday, and said it all summer - the younger swimmers are always the most dangerous. They are naïve enough to break a World Record and drop a second and a half, and that is what makes them so great. It is one of the great things about our team is that we are so young and we have swimmers like Jessica Hardy, who can drop two seconds. It seems to come out of nowhere."
[On her 100 Back final at 2005 Worlds] "It is so funny that you think that I should be upset; I just got in 3rd! I am very happy about it. I think it was a great heat. It has been interesting to try to get back at this. I still maintain that I am working off my best and it is just another step along the way. I was a bit tired towards the end but it is not something unusual in my races. I took a long break after the Olympics and I broke my foot so it was mentally tough. Fortunately these things don’t happen a lot. The training was going well. I am just really happy. One wants to win, but one can’t win all the time."
[On her 100 Free semi at 2005 Worlds] "It felt good. I’m just trying to make it into the top 8, and I think that time should do it. That was definitely what I was thinking. I tend to go out really fast and try to hold on, and for this one I just tried to let myself go fast, but not force it, and make myself come home. That was my strategy and I think it worked.’’
[Talking about the women’s 100m freestyle] "The race itself felt pretty good. I tried to hold back a little bit on the first 50 metres, so I would be stronger on the second half of the race. I think that strategy worked out for me; I had a very good finish. I don’t think I ever tied anybody; ties are pretty rare. The goal is always to win, but I am happy with silver. A medal is a medal. After that, I just tried to refocus and regroup and get ready for the 50-metre butterfly. This whole meet has been kind of on a survival mode for me because it’s a long meet and I am definitely not at my peak condition.”
[On the US 400 Medley Relay final at 2005 Worlds] " Both countries (with Australia) have a Championships Record so that is great. It was a competition between the two teams, pushing each other – but they were faster. Other than that I think we all swam great. We will be behind Jessica (Hardy) tomorrow for her competition. We are very happy about the race.”
[On whether or not she was disappointed after the 2004 Olympic trials] "The objective is to make the team in your events. I made the team in the 100 back and 100 free. I'm happy with the outcome. It's hard. I like all the girls. I was really hoping Jenny would be in there. The fact that I made the team already in the 100 back, made me a little too relaxed. Now, knowing what events I will be doing, I will be able to really focus"
[On Michael Phelps] “I’m very much in awe of the confidence he has in himself.”
[On breaking the 100 backstroke record] "I was glad that I finally did it. It's been in the back of my mind for a while. It's good to get it over with and finally break it."
[On why she likes switching around the events she swims] “This just keeps it interesting; it makes training more interesting. It's a don't-put-all-of-your-eggs-in-one-basket kind of thing. I look at it as having a lot of options.”
"When I was growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. But I grew out of that. No, even now, I really don't know what I want to do."
"There are always meets, never a time of year when you can just do conditioning. One whole week without training is huge; for me, it sets me way back.”
"I can't meet everybody's expectations."
"The pressure is hard and some times it is not fair. No matter what I do"
[On not getting to swim at the 2004 SC Worlds] "I'm very disappointed to be injured at all, but especially disappointed to have it happen right before Short Course Worlds."
[After winning the Best Relay performance at the Golden Goggles] “I don’t think any of us had a doubt about this relay. Looking at that world record – even though it was the oldest on the book – we knew we had a really great chance to beat it.”
[On winning female athlete of the year at the Golden Goggles] “This event has been really great. It’s crazy to see everyone so dressed up when we’re usually running around half-naked in swimsuits! There were so many athletes at the Games who did a phenomenal job, especially my fellow nominees. Kaitlin kept improving every swim and surprising everyone. Amanda had an amazing race in the 200 breaststroke. I want to thank all of my Cal supporters, especially my coach, Teri McKeever, the first female coach on the Olympic staff. She made such a difference in my life and my swim career. Four years ago, I didn’t think I’d still be swimming.”
"I want to do sports broadcasting - live would be fun ... I did some pre- and post-race interviews at the Tiburon Mile, and I really enjoyed that."
"People will recognize me on the street but don't say hi. Right after the Games, people would really approach you, take pictures - but that's kind of died down."
"It was strange walking down the street and people would point, but it was for a good reason."
"There are pretty many who make a living swimming, but some think we make more money than we do, although I do make a very good living."
"It's only been a couple months since the Games, so I haven't really had time to be a pioneer in (promoting the sport), but hopefully with the success that Michael (Phelps), Amanda Beard, myself and others have had, it's improved swimming in the public eye."
"It's really funny - over the past few months, because of my success, Vallejo and Concord have kind of been fighting over me."
"Racing takes a lot out of your body. If you're not used to it, it is kind of stressful.''
[At the 2005 Stanford Invite] "I had a burrito with hot sauce about five hours ago. I felt like I was about to vomit before my races ... In some places, I'm definitely feeling my age."
"Racing is a big part of my training. Just being out there is really important for me."
[On skipping her Cal graduation] "I'm not really into the ceremony thing. I didn't even go to opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics."
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