Justine Kinney Wins First Track Event At London 2012 Olympic Stadium

Congratulation Justine on being the first track winner at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium and new British Universities Champion!!! Tell us about the media attention since the race and what it was like to compete in the very first race in the Olympic Stadium.

Its been really great, i had alot of interviews after my race and they all wanted to know how it felt to be the first athlete to win a a race on the Olympic track. Ive loved reading all the write ups in the papers and the photos taken of the evening are fantastic.

You are really experienced at this level now, how did the increased media attention affect your preparation for the final given that all of the fanfare was after your qualifying heat?

It was quite nerve racking as I knew I had a very good opportunity to win and so I just focused on the task in hand and tried not to consider the media attention surrounding the race.

This weekends experience must have really inspired you for the summer ahead but the hard work had done now. How has your preparation gone for your summer season so far?

The season started slowly when I first raced out in LA.  I was warm weather training and I had hoped to run quicker a bit earlier but I have since ran the qualitifaction for the European championships representing Ireland and i can only go quicker from here on in.  I'm really confident I can break my Personal Best and go from there.

A lot of athletes who are looking to improve in the sport ask about warm weather training. You have been to LA at Easter time for 5 years in a row now, what do you think the benefits of warm weather training are?

I love the time to focus more than anything.  There are no life distractions and you can get your head down and focus on training and competition.  As I study and work part time it's really beneficial just being able to train and not have to worry about anything else for a short period of time.  I also love to run in the heat.  Your body just seems to cope better in warmth and I love not having to struggle against the weather in sessions especially hurdling when there is no wind or rain.  In America they have some world class athletics meetings early season such as Mount Sac Relays so its great to go along and compete early in the season.  I would love to go to South Africa as there is no time difference over there but I would want to go for a considerable amount of time to get the benefit and fitting it into the year is hard to do!

Now you are an Irish athlete, will we still be able to see you racing in the UK in preparation for the Irish Olympic Trails?

I am based at Loughborough University so a lot of my races are in England, however I am currently competing in the European Circuit and spend alot of my time in Belgium, France and Switzerland.

Lastly, running in spikes and on the track so frequently must be really taxing on your feet. Which of your Runbreeze socks are you wearing the most in training and racing to keep yourself in top condition?

I am a huge fan of the cushioning and anti-blister socks and train in them regularly.  They make sure the feet stay nice and lose which is great for maintaining an injury free achilles as its always my weak area!

Thanks very much Justine, we are really hoping you have a great season and get that Olympic place for Ireland!