Get Herald RSSAnna Willard '06, former Brown track and field standout, finished 10th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Beijing Olympic games, slightly behind fellow American Jennifer Barringer. Willard finished in a time of 9:25.63, which was almost 27 seconds behind the Russian gold-medalist Gulnara Galkina-Samitova. Galkina-Samitova finished the race with a world-record time of 8:58.81, nearly nine seconds in front of the silver medalist. Although Willard did not medal in the finals, she was still happy to compete in the final race.
"At the beginning of the season it was my goal to make the Olympic final so it was really rewarding for me to accomplish that feat," Willard wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.
Willard had high expectations coming into the Olympic Games after setting the American record at the July Olympic Trials in Eugene Ore. Willard, a first-time Olympian, was overcome with emotion when she walked into the stadium in Beijing. She was at a loss for words when she described the atmosphere of the Bird's Nest.
"Walking out onto the track for the first time was a thrill," Willard wrote. "To see the Bird's Nest from the track, I was overwhelmed by the crowd and the backdrop of the torch."
Although anxiety may have been a contributing factor to Willard's off-pace times, she thought the food seemed to play a bigger role, because the difference in culture made her diet a bit more of a challenge than she anticipated.
"I had a lot of problems with the food in the Village," wrote Willard. "In retrospect, I believe this made me weaker in the finals, and if I could change one thing I would have changed my diet in the week leading up to the race."
Willard plans to continue competing. Now with her first Olympics under her belt, she hopes to be a force in the upcoming season. She is looking ahead to the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, and considers it a building block in getting back to where she was a month ago.
"It was exciting for me to have accomplished my goal in making the Olympic final, however, I believe I have the ability to accomplish much more," Willard wrote. "I have learned that I should always approach these races with the goal of contending for a medal and next year at the World Championships in Berlin, I hope to do just that."
Although Willard has accomplished a great deal this season, she hopes to improve. She also plans to continue her training in pursuit of a second Olympic berth for the 2012 London Olympics, which she has already marked on the calendar.
