Читать книгу Indiana University Olympians. From Leroy Samse to Lilly King онлайн

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“I’m a lot older, a lot wiser, a lot stronger, mentally and physically,” she said. “I’m glad He had me stick it out these last four years.”

In Sydney, Nathan and decathlon bronze medalist Chris Huffins rented a house at a three-week cost of $15,000, sharing lodging with Nathan’s pastor and his wife, plus family and friends. Even in a stadium with 104,228 in attendance, she could see her pastor and hear the voice of her brother.

If only she could have felt her legs and body. A slow 100-meter hurdles time of 13.74 put her sixteenth after one event, and her medal chances were effectively over. She blamed anti-inflammatory medication she took to treat sore Achilles tendons.

“I just numbed my nervous system,” she said. “I got out with everybody; I just didn’t move.”

She finished ninth with 6,150 points, far off the bronze-winning score of 6,527. Gold medalist Denise Lewis of Great Britain scored 6,584, or just seven points more than Nathan had at Götzis in 1999. Nathan, standing next to Lewis, was the first to congratulate her when standings were announced.