Tennessee Olympians Open Up About Rio 2016
September 07, 2016 | Track & Field
Junior Christian Coleman represented both the United States of America and the University of Tennessee this summer at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Coleman ran in qualifying round of the men's 4x100 meter relay aiding Team USA in its first place finish with a time of 37.65 seconds.
(On his Olympic experience)
"In my opinion everything was great, being in the (Olympic) village and the atmosphere of having all the great athletes. No matter what sport they are, every athlete there is an Olympic athlete so you know they're at the top of the world in whatever they do. Just being in the environment was a humbling experience. Being able to represent the United States and knowing the whole country is watching you and is on our backs, that was just a great experience. Hopefully I can do it again."
(On being surrounded by world class athletes)
"I walked in the opening ceremony with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant and just being around them guys, being around Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay and hearing their type of experiences and getting knowledge from them to help me in my career. Just being around so many great athletes was just a crazy experience."
(On getting lessons from fellow Olympians)
"We were in training camp together for a week and then we were down in Rio for almost a month so I got a lot of time to talk to him and Tyson (Gay) and a lot of older guys. They really took me under their wing and gave me a lot of knowledge that I can use going forward."
(On Justin Gatlin)
"Justin went here so he was just saying how I should carry the Tennessee tradition on and how to stay calm in the moment. We were going out there in front of a whole crowd and a lot of people might get antsy when you get out there and that's how things fall apart. Just helping me to stay calm and just giving me peace and knowledge to help me in this upcoming track season."
(On emotions on stepping onto the Olympic track for the first time)
"At first I was a little overwhelmed because of all the people there and that was the biggest crowd I have ever run in front of and especially knowing you have USA on your chest. Everybody is watching you. It was a crazy moment at first and then I had to dial it in and treat it like any other track meet."
(On what the support back home was like)
"It was crazy. Everybody in Atlanta was going wild when they say me on TV and I got a lot of pictures and videos, texts, and Instagram messages about good luck and I did a good job. The support was there the support was crazy."
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan on Coleman
"Very thrilled to see the progression he's made from freshman year to sophomore year within the collegiate ranks and you could see the determination of what he was going to become in the world class level. That really broke out at the (USA Olympic) trials. Obviously he had a great NCAA (championship meet) but at the trials he was very comfortable, he was very confident. He competed that way and earned his spot. We were proud of him for doing that, didn't surprise me at all."
