The internship in Curaçao
”My adductors have been causing me a bit of trouble for some time now but it should be possible to run this weekend. I've slowed down a bit over the last few days in training and we'll do another test on Friday. Not running is still an option but given how I'm feeling at the moment, I'm quite optimisticsays Alexander Doom. Curaçao was the ideal place to acclimatize to the conditions prevailing in this part of the world but the track was particularly tough. This, however, has nothing to do with my injury.”
We have several chances to qualify for the Games.
The Olympic challenge
”There is a healthy tension in the team. We actually have several chances to qualify for the Gamesrecalls the native of Roeselare. The ideal would of course be to finish in one of the first two places in our series this Saturday, but otherwise it could also be the next day during the repechage round. And if that still doesn't work, we can always try to make a difference in terms of timing at the European Championships in Rome next month, by ranking as one of the two fastest teams from the countries not -qualified for Paris.”
A team with confidence
”The impact of the indoor world title after our elimination in the series at the Budapest Worlds? We never lost our self-confidence! says Alexander Doom. Even after last summer when the outside world may have thought it was over for the team. So we didn't even need this confirmation that the Belgian Tornados were still great. We don't look too much at other countries either because it's wasted energy in fact. We only care about ourselves.”
His personal status
”I notice that people trust me more easily as a member of the team. But it's not because I won gold at the World Indoor Championships that I'm going to claim certain things, or one place rather than another.assures the athlete trained by Philip Gilson. It is always Jacques (Borlée) who decides the order in which we run. And he establishes a tactical plan from the moment we know our opponents in the playoffs. Personally, I don't care what position I run, as long as I run! And the individual world title doesn’t change that. I always give my all for the group. The relay is still my biggest chance to win an Olympic medal.”
His state of form
”We can't really talk about a peak in form here as far as I'm concerned. My physical condition is good, the times I set in training are also good. But it is above all at the European Championships in Rome and then at the Olympic Games in Paris that I want to compete in my best form. And I think that’s the plan for the other torchbearers too.”
Alexander Doom's daydream: “When I look at who I beat, I think I can be very proud of myself”
