"Then after work I'd be back at the Domain, or at one of the other parks. I'd be watched by Jim Bellwood, my coach. He'd supervise my jumping technique, or my throwing. This session would last a couple of hours."

"I used concrete blocks and sandbags for weights. I'd do an hour of weight training at home in the morning. My uncle, in whose house I was living in Auckland, had built a sort of gym in the spare room, so I'd spend an hour doing callisthenics before I went to work."

"At lunchtime I'd train at the Domain. I ran in army boots for 30-45 minutes. The theory was that when I didn't have the boots on, I'd feel like I was flying. It certainly did feel good without them!"

"I’m just trying my best so that I can medal at the Olympic Games, stay in good condition, good health"

"I would say I am very, very proud, but I cannot dwell on the past. Even though it’s very special, it’s memories. I cannot just sit and say ‘OK, I’m a double Olympic champion, I’m a five-time Olympic gold medallist’. I have to continue working because my motivation is to be even better"

"Just train hard, work hard, stay healthy, put God first"

"Even though the achilles injury was challenging and meant I was unable to sprint or even walk at times, I continued to work. To come back from that and achieve what I did is a surreal feeling and I’m happy and proud"

"It felt good, the start felt really good. I definitely would like to get hurdles eight, nine and 10 a little bit more efficient in the next round, because everybody’s coming all guns blazing in the semis and so if I want to make it to the final, I have to be as sharp as possible"

"I know Usain (Bolt) has won Laureus awards before, so to bring this trophy back home to the Caribbean, also in Jamaica, is very special"

"I would also say I have no regrets or advice to give because if you have never been through setbacks, how does that teach resilience? Going through challenges teaches you coping strategies fo the future"

"Many people love to offer advice and change many things about their life, but for me I’d just say, “stay the course”. I’d not change anything because every setback you experience always serves a purpose. I honestly don’t feel that had I started the sport earlier or maybe gone to a different university is something I desire. I love the path I walked down, so I would tell myself to hang in there and stay the course"

"I told myself that I want to be the greatest female sprinter, so I am just going to focus on what the future holds for me."

"Last season was a rough one but this year I am back stronger, and today was an indication that I really overcame what happened last season"

"Jamaica has the talent. This is our best quarter-mile programme in a long while. All of us are performing very well, running sub-45 seconds. We give God thanks. I hope all of us are injury free going forward"

"We’re working on a lot of things, you know, most of the weak areas,"

"It’s more about hard work, mostly listening to my coach and taking as much instruction. But this season, everything is going well so far"

"I didn’t expect this fast an opening time because running sub-45 this early in the season, I am really surprised by it"

"It felt pretty good. I mean, it’s a bittersweet feeling because usually we’re one of the last events at the championship and now we’re one of the first. I was like, ‘Okay, this is different, but I like it.’ Got it out of the way, got the rust off, the dust off, and, you know, did what I came out here to do"

"The younger girls are running really fast. I’d like to think I have a lot of experience under my belt, and so if I need to call on that experience, I feel like I can, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s just to do my best every time and let the chips fall where they may"

"Every champion has struggles that they’ve been through. There will always be obstacles and you have to learn to hurdle them – you’re never too old to learn new stuff. I think I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and the main thing is that I’ve learned to listen to my body. Like any athlete who wants to be a champion, you tend to want to train through your pain, but sometimes it’s better to rest and listen to your body, which will help you in the long run. That’s one of the mistakes I’ve made in the past; I’d try to push through the pain"

"It’s an honour to win this award and I’m humbled to accept it. It will keep me motivated as I continue to work towards my targets"

"The suspension actually ran from October through to January because I was waiting to serve the two-meet ban. I was sat on the bus in street clothes fetching snacks for the team. It was embarrassing. To me, this was a huge wake-up call and made me realise how close I’d been to letting everything slip and returning back to Denver to live in my mom’s basement. It was a reminder of how fleeting your career can be and as my coach reminded me - Howard University was here way before me and would be here way after me – and I have only the interim period to leave a legacy"

"despite we weren’t a contender, but I gave my best"

"Of course, when I was younger I made mistakes. We all do. As guys we are slow to mature and I did some stupid things. At Howard University I performed well as a hurdler. I won races and conference championships but at homecoming time I decided to hang out with friends and I missed two practises in my sophomore year. My coach was furious and kicked me off the team only for a colleague to talk him out of it and give me a two-meet suspension instead"

"The season was a tough one, but we went out there with our heart and our soul and we put on a show"

"You get a lot of motivation when you achieve your first victory of the season"

"Process is training hard and trusting in God. That’s all it is. Trusting in God, trusting in the training that I put in, trusting in the abilities that I have, and believing without a doubt that everything will work out for the good of those who love the Lord and were called for his purpose. If that’s me, that’s me"

"It was manageable for me. I just had to get out and try to maintain (my form). I didn't get really much to do. There was a lot of pressure because, as you know, people thought I would drop out at first, so I got to prove them wrong, and now I came here and made it to the semi-finals. I am grateful for that moving forward"

"This is going to give me a lot more confidence, and I just want to stay injury-free and stay healthy throughout the season"

"It was very shocking to go sub-45 this season. It was very mind-blowing, but I continue putting in the work and listening to my coach's instructions"

"You know, I try to keep a clear mind and a loose body, I try to focus on what I can control. I know I can do all the hard work that’s possible but it’s God who gives me the strength to keep going and provides the opportunities and I’m just really grateful, and I keep that in mind and just enjoy the process. I mean, it’s not going to last forever, so while I’m in it, I enjoy what I’m doing"

"I gave it my all"

"It’s more significant because of what has happened. Joy comes frequently in life, but grief of this level is something you encounter only rarely. I have grief in my heart and I have joy"

"It’s greater than my Olympic victory in Athens"

"Running neck and neck with Kipchoge was a very difficult part of the race, but I believed my finish would be strong enough to win"

"Even with the early start, the air felt heavy and thick as the sun rose. For us, training in the altitude and cooler air of Kenya, it required immense discipline with hydration from the first kilometer"

"I had to run more conservatively in the first half to save energy for the inevitable struggle after 25km. But the scenery, the villages, the people cheering… it is one of the most beautiful races I’ve experienced"

"This has been a year of deepening purpose"

"These victories are more significant in my eyes than my previous ones, because in the past I had my fiancée with me, encouraging me"

"Running gave me everything"

"Now, I give back — through sweat, through sacrifice, and through the soil we farm together"

"But the marathon is completely different in the final 5km. You can’t just turn your legs over like on the track; the fuel is nearly gone. The biggest adjustment is shifting from raw speed to relentless endurance"

"I’m not just training runners"

"My athletes know I’m strict"

"My career on the track—my Olympic bronze in the 5,000m—was built on the fast finish"

"The tropical heat and especially the humidity were the biggest challenges"

"My reflection is less about my personal stopwatch and more about the impact I can have on the future of Kenyan running"

"I’m building people. Strong, disciplined people who will take Kenyan running to the next level."

"There’s no shortcut in this sport. I do not support doping, and I never will. If you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor, you must do it right"

"I never achieved my maximum effort in the marathon"