Felix Sanchez's birthday diary

What better day than his 25th birthday for Felix Sanchez to present his first online diary? World Champion and current world leader at 400m Hurdles, Sanchez is still in contention for the Golden League Jackpot which is now just two races away…
“Tonight’s race will be special to me because I celebrate my birthday today. The best present I could get would be winning the race with a fast time. I am looking forward to running here in Brussels as I don’t know the stadium, I’ve never competed here but I’ve seen a few tapes of the previous editions and the atmosphere looks great.
I love it when the crowd is on their feet, when they make noise, when the stadium goes crazy.
You can tell right from the start if a crowd is knowledgeable of the sport and I love it when it is the case. It is very important for me to interact with the fans. In Zurich for instance the night was magic. I started the wave the way they do it here in Europe and responded to the crowd’s expectations. That is the true spirit of athletics.
I won’t have a lot of time to celebrate my birthday after the race but if I run a fast time that’ll be enough for me. My mother rang me this morning from the States to wish me a happy birthday and so did my girlfriend and my sister. And actually they both are going to a concert tonight to honour my birthday – I wish I could be with them in a way…
This has been my first full season on the European circuit and it took me a while to get used to all the travelling. I feel OK about it now. I am looking forward to the new places I will go to. This is my first time in Brussels, it will be the first time that I go to Berlin next week, it will be my first Grand Prix Final and first World Cup. So I take everything in and try and enjoy each and every new experience.
When I get to the competition hotel, I usually stay as much as possible in my bedroom. This is my own way to relax and to concentrate. I spend a lot of time in hotel beds – even if my bed at home is a lot more comfortable! I have my computer and I watch quite a lot of DVDs. Actually, I watched Pearl Harbour yesterday and I must say I enjoyed it. It was a three-hour movie – quite long! – but the action scenes were good and it put the historical facts into perspective. I didn’t really know exactly everything about that event so it was good to learn something.
I try and take a couple of days off after each competition. After London I went to Amsterdam and visited the Nike European HQ. Timothy, the Nike representative, showed me around and we had a lot of time out there. After Zurich I went to the Swiss Alps and it was a fantastic panorama. People told me that in winter time it’s even better because all the fields are covered with snow…that must be spectacular!
But now I’m back to business and I have to concentrate, relax and get ready. At the beginning of the season I didn’t think I would contest the Jackpot, but now that I am just two races away…I wouldn’t like to lose it. I certainly do not want to lose tonight as it is my birthday and I certainly do not want to lose in Berlin as it is the last meeting and it would feel horrible. Tonight I will actually run with a new pair of red spikes that Nike have made especially for me. They are signed with my name and I will only wear them today. They will remain my ‘Birthday Spikes’.
If I was to win the Golden League Jackpot and the Grand Prix Final etc…and after my accountant decides how much money I owe the government in taxes, I will probably buy a new car. I have been using the same car since College and I love it but I really like Mercedes Benz. I think that Hicham El Guerrouj is the most likely to win the Jackpot as he’s never been pushed to his limits. Ana Guevara is also having an excellent season but she should be careful of Lorraine Fenton. I was very disappointed when my friend Gail Devers fell out of the Jackpot race but that is the sport and that is why we keep running, because a race is never won until you have crossed the finish line.
Anyway, I have a few races left before the end of my season which will finish on 22 September at 4pm – that’s the day and time I get back home! And after that I need to totally rest my body because 2003 will be a very hard year for me. Ever since I started the sport, my goal has been to win a medal at every big championship: the Worlds, the Olympics, the Pan Americans and the World Cup. And next year, the Pan American Championships will be held late September in the Dominican Republic, so I wouldn’t want to miss that for anything else in the world. I am a true Dominican in the soul and will always remain so.
I think athletes are like cars: the harder you drive  them, the faster they break down. That is why I’ve started my season relatively late, why I’ve only run once a week and why I will take a long break at the end of the summer.  My body needs it.
I will speak to you again soon.
Felix