"I was sick at home just before coming to Nanjing,” she told the World Athletics flash quotes team. “So, I stayed at the back to conserve myself before making my push"

"I’m healthy now, and I came here to win,” Hailu continued. “Last year I won the 1500m, now I’ve won the 3000m, and I’m so happy about that. I try my best, and God helped me with the rest. I don’t know how I will celebrate; my happiness is beyond me"

"Burundi government should adopt laws that promote athletes in Burundi for instance"

"I will take this opportunity to visit the University of Ngozi as it promised to award me for my silver medal"

"It is very sad and disappointing for turn of this events. I’m heartbroken by the fact that I will not compete in the 800m race which I was very much looking forward to. I have prepared well for this moment for the whole season"

"There isn’t much money in athletics. We just win and receive something that allows us to survive with the main objective of avoiding depending on others. On the contrary, it is the country which should honor its athletes"

"To win this event, I prepared myself strongly, and I feel very happy that I won the race"

"I will firstly endeavor to train myself to improve my record and do better in 2020 Olympic Games"

"I started being ranked seventh on the list in 2012 Olympic Games, the second in 2016 and though I don’t know what the result will be, I want to be a gold medalist in 2020"

"It’s a huge honour for me"

"I am feeling seriously wonderful. I didn’t realize I could run a world record, but it was my first time here. I came here to do what I have to do"

"It’s the first time winning a medal for my country"

"I did it. It’s wonderful and it’s fabulous. The pacing was really perfect. I want to thank all the people who came to cheer us"

"It doesn’t make sense. For sure, I didn’t choose to be born like this. I love running, and I will not stop running"

"Determination and courage are the best friends of the future"

"When you have trained all through and worked hard to qualify for the world championships, it is certainly difficult to accept such a situation"

"“I am from this village called Medingen. It's a dusty place, to be honest. There's no track. There's no grass. There's nothing, there is just dust everywhere,”"

"“So, it was challenging. I started running when I was doing physical education in grade four. And that's where I thought, ‘Let me just try this thing of running. Let me see where I can go. Then I just started running and we started visiting other schools.”"

"“I feel like right now I have that experience whereby I know in the heat they take the top three. And in the semis that's where you have to push yourself. That's your final, actually,”"

"I’ve been a two-time world champion, and the Olympics is my next goal."

"“The goal for this year is to run 1:56. I didn’t tell the coach yet. But that's my goal and I know I'm going to do it. I wrote it in my diary. I just have to keep consistent in my training,""

"“I'll be all over social media and that is what I want. I haven't been there, according to me. I don't have that exposure. In Morocco, I will make some miracles happen. I'm ready.”"

"Being a medallist isn’t the goal, getting the gold medal is. I feel a great responsibility when I represent my country."

"Many kids have started running in Debremarkos after watching me."

"I was really angry to not bring back two medals from the World Championships, but I knew from our training I had a lot of potential to do something with my fitness"

"I want to win no matter what happens."

"I am always smiling when I wear this national flag of Burundi. I did all I was supposed to do to defend this title despite the fact it was not easy. I did it for god and for my country. I want to be an inspiration for the youth and children in Burundi"

"“But I believed that I could make it, and to make it and grab that gold medal, I’m proud,”"

"I didn’t expect these conditions but I can run in hot conditions"

"Being there to represent my country brings immense feelings. Our people always expect us to win. Our seniors are known for bringing gold medals to Ethiopia."

"I am getting that desire in me to win everything."

"The Olympics is a big stage, and it’s my dream. I’ve succeeded in everything else, and the only thing left is the Olympic (gold)."

"I am doing this because of the love I have for running and for the athletes. Running changed my life in a big way. I find great joy in nurturing and guiding young runners and in seeing them begin to excel in their careers as well"

"I am so motivated (by my family)"

"I see more women coming up, and it’s encouraging to see more federations enrolling the services of female coaches compared to my time when I was an athlete. There's a big difference in how we female coaches handle athletes. When you have more female coaches, you also have people who safeguard athletes from abuse. Sometimes we assume the roles of mothers, and when a mother sits down with their kids, it is sometimes easier for them to speak out"

"I hope I can run my personal best and get a good result there"

"“The world hasn't really recognised me. The world doesn't really know me that well because I haven't run that sub-1:58 but I know I'm going to do it,”"

"“I did dream of this, I’ve been working so hard for this. We have a long season ahead and I believe there’s still more to come.”"

"I never got discouraged or felt shy, knowing that in Kenya we have more men as coaches and very few or no women coaches"

"Coaching is enjoyable and life changing. I think when you have more female coaches, the sport also changes positively. And we don’t all have to be [technical] coaches, there are so many spheres of coaching like mental, safeguarding"

"I always felt like what he did to my life from hurdling to being a 800m star was amazing. And I also always wanted to start with an athlete from zero. By identifying a talent and giving an opportunity to young people to experience the sport"

"“You have to put yourself in the top two. This year we have the Olympics and now I have a goal. My goal is to be in the final. Like my coach says, anything can happen once you are in the final.”"

"To the rest of the ladies in the race, I wish you all the best as you represent Kenya. I want to thank my management and Athletics Kenya medical staff for the assistance they have given me during this difficult time"

"In 2015, just before the World Championships in Beijing and I was honest with myself, I was getting old. I told myself, ‘Janeth, you do Beijing, and then it is time to step out of track"

"They treat us as if we are cheats. We deserve to be respected as athletes, as champions."

"My target was to lower my personal best in this competition"

"So when I transitioned out of that track, I moved into coaching immediately"

"There is nothing much I can do at the moment because it is out of my control. I hope to be back soon much stronger ad healthier."