European Athletics (EAA) – News – Natalia Rodríguez: “It was not enough to finish the year with just a bronze”

Spain’s Natalia Rodríguez took the bronze medal in this summer’s European Athletics Championships 1500m and also, earlier in the year, the World Indoor Championships silver medal over the same distance.

The 31-year-old runner from nearby Tarragona will return to Barcelona on Sunday for her first outing since she made the podium at the European Athletics Championships in the Catalan city.

Rodríguez will be competing in the famous Jean Bouin road race over 10km, which she has won on two previous occasions including last year. In an interview with the Spanish sports daily newspaper El Mundo Deportivo she reflected on 2010, her ambitions for next year and what Sunday’s race means to her.

Q: You’ve got on the podium of a major championship twice this year but you still seem unhappy?
A: I can not help the fact that I still have a bad taste in my mouth (after this season). I know a bronze at the Europeans and a World Indoor Championships silver is no small thing and I value them positively, but it was not enough to finish the year with just a bronze (from the European Athletics Championships). I have taken a big leap forward as an athlete after becoming a mother and I have as my reference point the World Championships in Berlin (when she was disqualified after crossing the line first). What happened there happened, but I was very strong and that showed me that I could be on top of the podium. I set the bar very high and I wanted to stay up there. I knew I was capable of winning the Europeans but I did not arrive there 100 per cent.

Q: The 2011 World Championships gives you another chance to be on top of the podium?
A: I will start next year very motivated again. The World Championships in Korea is the focal point (of 2011) although many people are already thinking about the 2012 Olympics. But precisely because of this I’m not going to take it easy next year or at the World Championships because I want to arrive in London at the Olympic Games in great shape.

Q: The 2010 Jean Bouin race seems to be a duel between you and Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir, another two-time champion at the event?
A: It’s going to be a complicated race. Jepkorir (the 2008 Olympic Games 3000m steeplechase silver medalist) is a superb runner, especially uphill, and it’s difficult to attack her. However, I’m in a better shape than last year, when I won and beat Marta (Domínguez). The tactic will be to stay with the Kenyan for as long as I can, and see who falters.

Q: You are a regular at this race?
A: It's a race that motivates me. It’s the way I test myself when I start racing each winter, and for me it is a reference point to know what sort of form I’m in.

Q: Another win would be your third, what do you think about becoming one of the biggest names in the history of this race?
A: Imagine! It makes me really happy thinking about it. As I have been running the race since I was a teenager. It would be something special (to get three wins).

Q: A few days ago, Marta Domínguez announced was pregnant. You've been a mother and have since re-launched your career. What do you think about her situation?
A: It’s not the end of a race, it's something very personal. I was going through some pretty tough times and I was not sure if I wanted to continue as a professional athlete or not. It helped me clarify my ideas and mature a lot.

Q: Is there any change from the last year in your preparation?
A: The major change is that instead of running indoors, I’ll do cross country this winter. This will help me have a stronger base for the summer, I want to do well and be at the World Cross Country Championships. Sometimes I think I have to approach things differently, without so many goals, but it's difficult, the winter is long and I need incentives to make it more bearable. I want to go to the Spanish cross country championships and then, if possible, be in the team for the 2011 World Cross Country Championships, especially as it will be in Spain.