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
