David Oliver, the Beijing 2008 bronze medalist and the No.1 ranked hurdler in the world in 2010, takes time to answer the 10-for-10 quiz!
Oliver in action at the 2011 Aviva meet in Glasgow. (Photo from Alasdair Middleton)
The powerfully built Oliver has recently clocked an impressive 12.93s at the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week, the second time he went under 13 seconds this year, cementing his status among the hurdles elite.
1. How did you get started with track?
I was a high school junior. I started out long and triple jumping but was terrible at it. One day we had a shuttle hurdle relay and my team needed a leg, I was one of the taller guys, so my coach put me on the relay and I actually did a good job so after the race, my coach told me I had a new event and the story has been written ever since!
2. What’s the most memorable moment of your track career?
Standing on the podium at the Beijing Olympic Games. That was a pretty surreal moment, looking at the flags being raised, knowing that the flag on the left represented all of the hard work and pain I had endured to live for this one moment.
3. What’s your life-long dream?
I’m living out my dream right now!
4. Let’s lighten up a bit! What would you rather wear and why? Short shorts or tights?
You’ve seen the races right?!?! I’m a shorts and singlet guy!
5. If you could be a Glee cast member, who will you be? And what song will you sing?
I have no idea what the Glee cast is to be honest…
6. How I Met Your Mother or F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?
I’ve never seen How I Met Your Mother or Friends. But I’ll go with Friends. I could only imagine what a show would be like staring me and my friends…
7. What’s the best pump-up song of all-time?
I don’t listen to music when I warm up or run, I prefer to listen to my own thoughts and imagine how I’m going to run the race.
8. If you could spend the rest of your days at any place in the world, which would you choose?
In my house, laying on the couch watching TV like I do everyday after practice! Best place to be in the world.
9. Name three things you just can’t live without.
Blackberry, MacBook Pro, Carmex
10. Fill in the blanks: I’ll run an ultra marathon just to go out with _________.
I trained in Moro last night, before heading out to Makati to chill out with some friends. I was pleasantly surprised at seeing some batch mates of mine working out as well. It was a refreshing sight from the monotony of faceless strangers.
As usual, training was short yet intense. I did running drills first just to prepare my body for the 4x200m sprinting workout (80% effort, 3 minutes rest in between reps). I haven’t sprinted as far as 200m ever since I injured my hamstrings back in April; hence, it was hardly surprising that I was gasping for sweet air by the 4th rep.
The first three reps were quite good, considering my relative lack of fitness. Although I was a little tense during the early stages of the workout, I became more relaxed as my body heated up. I felt the pains of lactic acid by the 4th rep – a sensation I sorely (pun intended) missed the past few months.
At the end of the workout, my legs were as painful as hell (although not as much as after those long sprints).
Gradually, I’m whipping myself back into shape. I’ve been training for almost 5 months now and, thankfully, I’m beginning to see good signs ahead. Even if the PATAFA Weekly Relays doesn’t push through, I’m glad that I’m on track in building a strong fitness base for the upcoming ABL season.
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