Flash Quotes from practice and familiarisation sessions – Part 1

Comments from the athletes, officials and officers after the practice and familiarisation sessions on the archery field of competition at Lord's Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

 

Men

  Gael PREVOST (FRA)   On the French team's late arrival:
"Our plane was yesterday (Tuesday) because from France to here there is only one hour of jet lag. Staying in France meant we could train to the maximum."   On the problem of the low sun:
"It is not a problem. The sun is bright and there is no wind. These are perfect conditions for archery."   On the venue:
"I was here for the test event and it is a beautiful place then and now. Lord's Cricket Ground is amazing and I am very happy to be here and to have the Olympics here."   Taylor WORTH (AUS)   On the only practice session on the field of competition: 
"It is absolutely fantastic, I think today is such a great day to practise shooting."   On being the first one to shoot:
"It is great that I got the first chance to shoot, now I can go on to my practice with the knowledge I have gained before other athletes (get the opportunity)."   Alan WILLS (GBR)   On the field of play:
"It is good to shoot in the actual venue and I am quite OK with the slanted slope at the back."   Larry GODFREY (GBR)   On finally shooting on the main range:
"It is nice to do something different. They've done a good job with the place. I'm very happy."   On his trip to the Ashes museum with Taylor WORTH (AUS) on Tuesday:
"Again it's good to do something different and have a bit of fun with the media rather than just talking about archery. (I'm) not really a huge cricket fan, just when England are playing and I have the time."   Simon TERRY (GBR) – winner of two bronze medals at Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games   On shooting at Lord's: 
"The conditions here today are spot on, but I hope it doesn't become humid, which would make it difficult. The only thing I've noted is that the arrows are affected when they go over the wicket area because there's a gap between the stands and the targets."   On prospects for the men's team event:
"We've had a good year so far, reaching the final of every competition, but we'll just take each match as it comes."   On home advantage:
"We hope it brings us an advantage, but we're just going to keep our cool out there."   Rahul BANERJEE (IND)   On how many people will be watching in India:
"People will be watching because it is at Lord's. I have watched many Test matches that have been played here. We are really happy to be playing at the centre of Lord's. Sachin TENDULKAR (IND) is my cricketing hero."   On his and the team's chances:
"Everything depends on the ranking round. The team has been doing well and if we continue to do that we have a chance."   On training at Lord's:
"It is really good to get experience on the main field. It went really well. This ground is historic, and if we win a medal here it will be even more historic for us."   Michele FRANGILLI (ITA)   On shooting on the Olympic range:
"It is much better now than the test event last year with the stands. Then I was not so happy, but now I am very happy."   On whether the slope affected his performance:
"Today there is no problem with the slope because it is not windy. Last year it was windy and there was a problem, but today no wind, so it is fine."   On his father Vittorio FRANGILLI (ITA) coaching Ivory Coast:
"It is fine. No problem. He can see me compete from a distance. The problem will be if it is me against Rene Philippe KOUASSI (CIV)." "That is possible but we are professional and here to do our job."   On the team event, in which he will shoot third for Italy (at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games his teammate Mauro NESPOLI went third, only shot a seven and Italy lost the gold medal match):
"People have now finally stopped asking Mauro (NESPOLI) about his arrow at Beijing 2008. Now he is shooting first, and I am third. If you have to shoot the last arrow you have to shoot fast but well." "This is a question of responsibility. All the responsibility will be in my hands in the next days."   Mauro NESPOLI (ITA) – team silver medallist at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games   On the differences between the test event and the London 2012 Olympic Games:
"The test event was completely useless. This is a new venue, totally different from the one with we shot at in October. The main problem remains the unpredictable wind conditions." "Now with the stands we do not feel the wind and the shooting line is covered. However, we still have 20m of open-air field and there the wind is really dangerous." "I would have preferred to have these stands (at) the end of the field."   On being first in the Italy team order for shooting (after being third at Beijing 2008 and shooting a seven in the gold medal match, which handed victory to Korea):
"I am not so happy about being the first shooter. However, I was told I am the quickest one so I can leave time to my teammates." "I am not shooting as third anymore, so I will avoid problems similar to those I had in Beijing in 2008."   Women   Carina CHRISTIANSEN (DEN)   On the special London 2012 Olympic Games cake made for her before leaving home:
"It was great. My brother's girlfriend has just started a bakery degree and I told her that she would have to make me a layered birthday cake." "Then the night before I left we were having dinner and she took out this cake. It was white chocolate and raspberry with purple marzipan." "Purple is my favourite colour and it is the colour of the Olympics so it was awesome."   On whether the sun is an issue:
"It was a little problem on the practice field. I had to wear my hat a little lower."   On the training camp she attended in Great Britain earlier in July:
"It was horrible weather, but the preparation was awesome. They set us up a real competition field with speed clock and things. It was great despite the weather."   Louise LAURSEN (DEN)   On the historic Lord's pavilion: 
"It is cool that you keep this building (the pavilion) free. You can still see Lord's. They covered everything up in Beijing (2008) and I didn't like it."   Kristine ESEBUA (GEO)   On her feelings after her familiarisation session:
"I really like this venue, it is a very beautiful field of play. I had no problems with the weather conditions; the sun did not bother me, the wind was OK. I just hope it is not going to rain in the next days."   Elena RICHTER (GER)   On her feelings about shooting at Lord's:
"This is a really good experience, this place has a really great atmosphere. However, it is still different. Now we are shooting with a few other archers, but next week I will be there alone, there will be only me and my opponent."   On what she thinks about the field of play:
"I like shooting here. These stands are huge, the crowd will be noisy and it will be really amazing to shoot here. I like when the crowd gets noisy because people give me energy, energy to shoot better."   On the main problems while shooting:
"I think the main problem will be the wind. Today we did not have any. The two stands protect the field from the wind, but then in the open field the gusts will become unpredictable. It will be very interesting to see how it is going to be while shooting with the wind."   Jessica TOMASI (ITA)   On shooting at Lord's:
"Shooting on the Olympic stage was fantastic because it was just like the official video game."   Evangelia PSARRA (GRE)   On the first session:
"It is great. I like it especially that it is sunny and hot, just like in Greece, and it is my fourth time at the Olympics so I am pretty confident."   On training with a coach who is also her husband:
"It is special and the training is quite different from what other athletes are doing, I should hope. But it is not uncomfortable at all because we meet as a coach and a trainee. The biggest difference is that we have two kids (laughs)."   On the children learning about archery:
"They don't know the rules yet and they are at a stage where they just want to go swimming, because it is usually hot in Greece, but they know that their parents shoot arrows every day."   Officers and Officials   Steve WAUGH (AUS) - athlete liaison officer and former cricket captain   On what he knows about archery:
"I had a crash course this morning so I am improving. In the preliminary round you shoot 72 arrows and the maximum score is 720. Then it's 64 versus one and so forth. I know the basics."   On whether he has tried archery yet:
"I haven't tried having a go but watching it I'd love to have a go. That is the great thing about the Olympics. When you watch it up close you want to get out there and have a go."   On whether his visit to Lord's would raise the profile of archery:
"I hope I raise the profile. The great thing about the Olympics and archery being at Lord's is it will raise the profile. It is hard to get attention for minority sports in Australia because we have a lot of major sports we are great at. It would be a great sport for kids to get involved with."   On Lord's as an archery venue:
"It is different. I never thought I would see it like this and I'm sure the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) members didn't either. It increases the profile of Lord's across the world."   Lloyd BROWN (USA) - GBR coach   On the Lord's venue:
"The grounds look fantastic and we are really looking forward to shooting. But things feel very close. There's not as much open field as we are used to."   On the British team's hopes:
"If we have the right opportunity. We will have a good chance and give a good performance. We are confident that we will do our best. We are prepared."   Wiete VAN ALTEN (NED) – coach   On Rick VAN DER VEN (NED) being the first Dutch archer to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games:
"There's going to be a lot of interest from the Dutch media when Rick competes in the ranking round as he will be the first athlete from the whole squad to be in competition." "This is great for the profile of archery in the Netherlands as it is still a small sport compared to cycling, swimming and judo."   On preparation:
"Because Rick qualified fairly late, and we were also unable to get a team into the competition, Rick's pre-Olympic training has been at our training centre in Arnhem (Netherlands)."   On London and Lord's Cricket Ground:
"The facilities here are good, although even with the Olympic lanes it still took us an hour to get here from the Olympic Village."   Source: ONS Edited by World Archery Communication