US Olympic Trials: Richard Lowe

A while back Abdi Guleed introduced you guys to Richard Lowe who is a former University of Memphis Track & Field athlete and also a former All-American. Richard had been going to meets with the U of M squad to qualify for the U.S.A. Olympic trials. Having accomplished that, Mr. Lowe has arrived in Eugene, Oregon and is preparing for the preliminary round of the 400m hurdles Thursday June 28th. I caught up with Richard and had a quick interview about how things are going and his plans for his race.

Guy Hudson: Hey Richard, how was the trip to Eugene?

Richard Lowe: It was pretty good and very interesting. I had the same connecting flight from Utah with fellow hurdler David Oliver which was pretty cool. I also met family members of several different athletes and got to talk to them about the sacrifices they make to support their loved ones.

Guy Hudson: That sounds pretty cool. Now this is your 3rd time running at Hayward Field (Richard also ran there for the 2010 NCAA championships and 2011 USA Championships). Has anything changed or is it the same as the other years?

Richard Lowe: There are some changes. I noticed that they have added more seats to the stadium and they are building new practice facilities around the campus for different sports teams like track, football etc...

Guy Hudson: Wow. Anyways Richard, how do you feel going into your race?

Richard Lowe: Well when I first got here, saw all the great athletes and the opponents in my heat I was a little intimidated but...I had a good practice session today and my confidence is up. I have some studs in my heat such as Kerron Clement, Johnny Dutch and Joshua Anderson but I am confident that I can hang with those guys.

Guy Hudson: Do you have a specific strategy for the race?

Richard Lowe: Well I am in lane 8, which is not ideal, but I'm not surprised. I've been put in bad lanes before so this is nothing new. I want to get out fast because those guys will be chasing, but I'll make sure to save something for a kick at the end when everyone else starts making moves.

Guy Hudson: Now how do you feel about lane 8? Do you like being chased or do you prefer the inside lane where you can do the chasing?

Richard Lowe: it doesn't matter. I just adjust my strategy based on my lane. Going up against a field this good maybe it's best for me to be on the outside so I can just run my race instead of looking at everyone up ahead and running their race.

Guy Hudson: What are your goals for the trials other than qualifying for London of course?

Richard Lowe: to be honest making to London isn't the main goal here. I want to run at least 48.8 if not faster. I also hope to get enough exposure to get signed by some sort of sponsor and become a professional. I would take those two goals over London, but making it to London would be nice as well.

Guy Hudson: Speaking of those goals, lets take a quick look into the near future. What are your plans for after trials?

Richard Lowe: What I do after trails all depends on how I do at trials. If I achieve my goals then it will be straight back to Memphis so I can get back to training, if not then I'll probably head home to Kansas City and think about what's next for me.

Guy Hudson: Even if you achieve your goals, wouldn't you still go back home for a quick break to hang out with your family?

Richard Lowe: That would be nice but if I go home I might get too comfortable and not go back to Memphis haha.

Guy Hudson: Haha well Richard it's been nice catching up with you. Good luck in your race and we're all rooting for you to make it to London and get signed.

Richard Lowe: Thanks bro.

Focused

Make sure to follow Richard on his quest to qualify for London and score a professional contract. You can get live results from the trials at http://www.usatf.org/events---calendar/2012/u-s--olympic-team-trials-tf/results.aspx

There will most likely be a TV replay of all of the day's events on ESPN or NBC.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @EJPOnTheBeat and follow Abdi @AGuleed. Remember to visit my sound cloud account www.soundcloud.com/jean-pierre-hudson and if you need beats hit me up at ejphudson@gmail.com....Thanks for reading, take care and GOD BLESS.

By Guy Hudson