Posted: August 16, 2004

Athletics: John Godina/Reese Hoffa press conference quotes

Three-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist John Godina and 2003 world indoor silver medalist Reese Hoffa spoke to the press on Monday about the upcoming men's shot put competition at Olympia. Below are excerpts from the conversation. For full athlete bios, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2004/OlympicGames/roster.asp

REESE HOFFA ( Athens , Ga. ), Shot Put:

On competing at Olympia: "I'm extremely excited. It was kind of an awe thing, getting here yesterday and seeing the configuration and where they were going to actually hold the shot. It was amazing. I can't wait. The 18th (Wednesday, Aug.) can't get here fast enough. I'm ready to throw."

On the venue: "They're probably some of the best rings. They're extremely fast, they have really good stickiness to them. It reminds me of some of the West Coast rings that are really, really good. Me and Adam (Nelson) are thinking we're going to throw really far."

On the shot put being the center of attention: "It's pretty cool to have this much media attention. Having the shot put isolated, it allows everyone to actually focus on the shot. I couldn't ask for anything better."

On U.S. chances: "As long as our technique holds together, we could potentially win it, even go 1-2-3. We know [the chance of a U.S. sweep] is out there, but we kind of keep it to ourselves. We're just trying to stay focused."

On previously competing in a mask: "I just want to keep it as serious as possible. I would love to compete in the Olympics in a mask. It would add even more attention to it, but the Olympics itself is enough media attention for right now. I don't want to go there and make a mockery of such a historic site or the Olympics itself. This is a tremendous opportunity and I don't want to ruin that for other athletes that may come after me."

JOHN GODINA ( Mesa , Ariz. ), Shot Put:

On the venue: "It's absolutely perfect. They've set it up perfectly for shot put. It's nice to have something built just for shot putters. It really started getting me charged up. I had to relax myself so I didn't waste any nervous energy. It's the stereotypical vision of what you think it should look like around Olympia. Once you get to the point that you are actually doing the competition, I don't know that anybody is going to notice because you just have to shut it off. I wish everybody could be here, but we're the lucky few so I'm not complaining"

On the shot put being the focus of attention: "Shot in the U.S. has become one of the two or three marquee events, so everything here kind of feels similar to that. We're used to [the attention] now, and we're used to being treated pretty well."

On the quality of the rings: "They're actually real good. They're brand new, but they've made them feel like they've been used a lot."

On possibility of a U.S. sweep: "It's pretty hard to pull off. I think realistically it could happen, but also realistically it probably should not because of the quality of throwers around the world. I'd put the chances at 50-50."

On preparing to compete in Athens: "I've done everything I could to set this thing up. I'm very satisfied with everything I've done and I like that I don't come in feeling that I should have done something more or something different"

On the ancient Olympics: "I like that it was absolutely a professional endeavor and they got to become millionaires doing it. I like that concept.

"[Being in Olympia] you really start to realize how long of a history sport has and how important it is to everyone in the world. It's been important for thousands of years. I don't know of any other aspects of cultures that have survived for as long as sport has for all people. I mean, governments come and go but sports are always there.