Passion for Sport reporter Norman Brierley was at the Diamond League Athletics in Birmingham last month. If you missed his thoughts on the event, you can catch up here.
Whilst there he spoke with the USA 800 metres runner, Chanelle Price, and asked how her training is going.
“Right now we’re just working on that strong finish. Everyone can get to the six but now we’ll decrease our load and put in some speed work these next 3-4 weeks and work on that strong finish.”
“The sport is a lot of sacrifices. You don’t get to live the average life. Everything we do – what we eat, what we drink, when we go to bed, what we do during the day. There’s always something we can be doing to get better. You get tired sometimes but what keeps me motivated is knowing that God requires that I give my all.”
At the time Norman spoke with Chanelle she had her eyes on Rio but sadly she has failed to make the cut after the US Trials last weekend.
Sunette Viljoen competes in javelin for the RSA and has won medals at almost every major championship. She’s a four time African Champion, she’s won gold in the Afro-Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games. And she’s twice won bronze at the World Championships – most recently last year in Beijing. But there’s one major event where success has so far eluded her – the Olympic Games.
“I look forward to Rio very much. I know what I can do. I have a lot of training that can be done. I just need to find that one solid throw I’m looking for - I know I have in me. Come Rio, I’ll be ready, I know I will be.”
Speaking about her faith, she said:
“You have to have an anchor. I don’t know how you can’t have an anchor – to pray for calmness and to pray for focus and to pray for strength on such big events. And you have to trust the Lord and you have to praise him whether it goes good or bad.”