German Fernandez - In Search of Medals

German Fernandez is the biggest middle distance hopeful to emerge from the US since the rise of Alan Webb. Read all about this young prodigy and get his thoughts on his Australian counter-part, Ryan Gregson...

Runnerstribe: What were your expectations going into NCAAs?

German Fernandez: The first thing was to just stay healthy coming back from an injury earlier in the year after that, it was to make it to the finals because I knew it was going to be really competitive this year. There were so many guys with great times this year and it was pretty nerve-wracking because you never know what is going to happen. It turned out great. The prelims went smooth. I felt even better than I expected and going to the final, I was just trying to figure if I wanted to lead wire-to-wire or to make someone else lead for the first couple laps. When it finished, I surprised myself because it came down to the last 50 meters and I was glad that it worked out well for me. The 1500 isn't my best event, so I'm very grateful that it went my way.

RT: What did it mean to you to get the win, especially as a freshman?

 

GF: It meant a lot because there is a lot of pressure and people that expect a lot from me. I'm only a freshman and I'm going to make mistakes. I try to block out a lot of those external expectations and focus on myself, focus on my coach Dave Smith and focus on my team and do what I do best.

RT: Do you think that's going to put more pressure on you on the college circuit now?

GF: It releases pressure because now I can say that I did it, but it puts more pressure on because now next year, you're going to have people saying that maybe I can double doing the 5K and the 1500.

RT: What was the World Cross Country experience like? Were you happy with that run?

 

GF: It was a great experience. I was running with a stress reaction injury so I didn't go in expecting too much. I just wanted to help the team. It ended up working out because I took 11th and my teammates did great and we finished fourth as a team. I met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. It's definitely an event that I'm never going to forget.

RT: You've run 13:31 for your opening 5000m this year, how fast do you think you can go this year?

GF: Probably under 13:30, but I don't want to throw any times out there because I don't know how my body is going to feel. It's not easy to run. There are a lot of factors that have to go right in a 5K race."

RT: Do you have any plans to make the World Champs in Berlin?

GF: I don't have any plans. If I end up running at USAs, then that will be the last thing, then I'll start training again for next year's cross country season.

 

RT: There's been a lot of talk about the Aussie juniors vs. the US juniors, especially around you and Gregson. What are your thoughts on that, and on the Aussie junior runners?

GF: The Australian runners are very good and I think they see us and see what we have accomplished and that we're on the map. We're competing with Africans and the Australians want to be there too. Gregson is a heck of a runner. I give him a lot of credit and respect. Hopefully one year we can race each other. I met him in Jordan. He's a great guy. He told me that one of these days, he's going to get me the last hundred.

RT: What's your training like? Can you give us a typical training week?

 

GF: I wake up in the morning and go for a 30-minute jog, just nice and easy. In the afternoon, either I do a workout or go on a 50-minute run. Yesterday I did ten 500s at about 64s. We work out three times per week and the rest is pretty much base running.

RT: What about into the future - what are the long term goals? How good do you think you can be?

GF: My long-term goals for now are to win as many national championships as possible, both individual and team, especially in cross country. The main goal is to make the Olympics in 2012 because I think I can represent my country in a way that it has never been represented. I don't want to just make the team, I want to medal.

RT: What do you think your best event will be? What event do you enjoy the most?

GF: I would say the 5K. I like more rhythm work. In the 1500, you feel like you're sprinting the whole time, whereas in the 5K, you're more relaxed which is more my game."

RT: Who do you look up to?

 

GF: Mainly Ryan Hall. He's a great runner and inspired me to do a lot of things ever since I started running. He's a hard worker and whether he does well or not, he always comes back strong the next race.

RT: Off the track, what are you into?

GF: Basketball. I love to watch and play basketball. It's one of my hobbies away from running.

Thanks German!

 

Popular read.. German Fernandez and World Cross...
 

'Gregson is a heck of a runner. I give him a lot of credit and respect. Hopefully one year we can race each other. I met him in Jordan. He's a great guy. He told me that one of these days, he's going to get me the last hundred. '
German Fernandez