Athletics

Caroline Wozniacki: What she said, really meant and definitely didn’t

English: Caroline Wozniacki at the 2010 US Open after winning against Chan Yung-jan. 6-1, 6-0. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caroline Wozniacki is not looking for excuses to not run the New York City marathon.

What she said:

“I was like, ‘I’ve got this; I’m cool; it’s going to be easy. And then I started running more, and in Asia I felt like, ‘Where am I going to run?’ I started panicking a little bit — uh oh, it’s getting close, and I don’t know if I can do this.”

Tennis heartthrob Caroline Wozniacki feels training for the New York City marathon has aided her tennis  game specifically helping her outlast Maria Sharapova in a three-hour three-set match at the year-ending WTA championship.

Wozniacki said:

“I think you can never feel too sure in life. You can’t really plan ahead because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. To be honest, this half of the year I’ve been great tennis-wise, and the running and everything has definitely helped me with everything. It’s cleared my head, but also it’s helped me physically, and I feel stronger on the court. So it’s been a great thing for me. It’s a nice challenge.”

Usain Bolt: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

English: Usain Bolt at the World Championship Athletics 2009 in Berlin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Usain Bolt

What he said:

“A cheetah would be cooler. I can see the headlines, ‘Usain Bolt beats cheetah’.”

The champion sprinter was replying to a question whether he would like to race against a fast car or a cheetah.

The cheetah is the fastest land animal and can reach speeds of 90 to 128 kmph. Bolt, however, has clocked a top speed of about 45 kmph.

(1936 four-gold medal winner Jesse Owens raced against  horses in exhibits but he cheated. The starting gun was fired next to the thoroughbred’s head startling it and giving the sprinter a head-start.)

Bolt was in Bangalore to play a seven-a-side exhibition match against a team which had some of India’s top cricketers including Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. The face-off was titled ‘Bolt and Yuvi – Battle of the Legends’.

On breaking new records:

“It’s possible. After running 9.58 seconds I’ve never said, ‘Never again.’ My coach knows there is no limit because I never knew I was going to go that fast. But when you go there, you have great competition, you push yourself to the limit and if you are in great shape anything is possible. No, I don’t have any magic number in mind. To me, the 100m record is not the one which matters now. It is the 200m where I want to go sub-19.”

Asked if yam and chicken nuggets were his secret ingredients:

“Yeah, but chicken nuggets was just one time in China as I didn’t want to take a chance with other food. Otherwise, I eat normal food. I’m not the kind of person who would give advice on diet (laughs) because I’m bad when it comes to my diet as I eat anything that I like.”

On Sachin Tendulkar:

“Everybody knows him. Sachin is one of the greatest ever in the sport. I remember the days when he depressed me by beating West Indies. There is another funny story. When I was growing up I never supported West Indies. I was a Pakistan supporter which my dad could never understand. But then I was a huge Waqar Younis fan.”

What he really meant:

“I’d like to prove I’m the fastest beast on the planet—I’m not a machine. I get injured and no mechanics can repair me.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Let’s race cars and we’ll headline it ‘Usain goes to Hollywood'”.

PT Usha: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

English: This picture is of P. T. Usha, a former Indian athlete. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PT Usha Is Not Sporting About Formula 1

What  she said:

“I feel very bad because such hi-fi business has nothing to do with 99% of Indians. It is a criminal waste (of money). First, Twenty20 cricket spoiled the spirit of Indian sports, and now here comes another avatar which will mostly attract corporate money, who (Corporate) rarely spend for sports promotion. Only God can save the Indian sports.”

Former track and field superstar, PT Usha, is not enamoured with the Formula 1  Indian Grand Prix to be held on the 30th of October, 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit, NOIDA.

Usha narrowly missed bronze in the 400 meters hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and runs an athletic school in her home state, Kerala.

Usha said:

“Till this date I have never and I don’t want to follow any motor business, which I do not want to call as sport.”

What she really meant:

“Neither does the Olympics consider F1 a sport (in cricket’s case—not yet).”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Formula 1 epitomises ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’.”