Despite finishing second in the 2007 World Championships (Osaka, Japan) with a time 9.91 seconds, Derrick Atkins is not considered a favorite to medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Indeed - leading up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics -- the focus on the 'World's Fastest Man' Title has been on Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.

Olympic 100-meter sprinter Derrick Atkins from the Bahamas believes that the light should not only be on the big three -- Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt -- but on the Men's 100 meter final itself.

Sprinter Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas believes the athlete who is mentally strongest on the day will win the gold medal.

Atkins, the silver medalist at the World Championships in Osaka, hopes to win gold in Beijing. Derrick Atkins set a Bahamian national-record 9.91 seconds in the 100 meters, finishing second to American Tyson Gay (9.85 seconds) and ahead of Jamaican Asafa Powell (9.96)

Derrick Atkins Interview

Q: Everybody is talking about the big three sprinters (Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell)?

Tyson has ran the American World Record and the fastest time ever in track and field, ever in any conditions. Bolt as the World Record and Asafa is the former World Record holder, and at any moment he could just go out there and hit a new world record.

But I don’t think the light should be on just those three guys it should be on the Olympic final of the 100 meters thats it, because you never know, they might mess around and never make the final you never know what can happen.

Q: Tell me about your form?

I feel like this year I have not run up to par how I did last year, everytime i stepped on the track it was like ten zeros or sub ten but this year has been a ’yoyo’ it has been up and down, theres been alot of different things going on outside of the track that affected that in some ways and I’m just trying to get back to where I was.

Q: How is your state of mind is your head right?

Definately have the right head, there is no doubt in my mind that when it comes down to it i am going to be prepared, I am going to be ready.

Everybody is going to be physically fit at this level of track and field and in sports in general, its all about your mental attitude and how you approach it. Some people are mentally weak and some people are mentally strong and some people use their physical attributes to compensate for their mental weakness, you know what I mean?

I wouldn’t call any names or say anything about that is just the nature of the sport. I think mentally that is where the medal is at, who comes and shows up when it counts.

Q: How do you get a strong state of mind?

Some people are genetically born with that dominate mind set and that concrete confidence. Some people have to grow and develope that and others just never get it. You can do all the other stuff the outside stuff but it is all in you head.

Only you can change the way you think only you can change the way you approach things, no coach can help you no therapist, what it boils down to is it is all about you.

Q: Usain Bolt has been described by Darvis Patton as a freak of nature? What do you think?

I would say he is a phenomenon, even when he was a junior athlete, at the age of 17 running 19.9 come on now, that’s just something unheard of back then, it wasn’t that long ago and he now, you say a freak of nature?

From 10.0 to 9.7 that is a huge jump and he’s a very talented kid, I can’t take nothing from him, he’s done great things and it’s all going to boil down to who can handle the pressure and who is tough enough.

Q: Are you hungry enough for gold at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics?

Hungry? Son, Hungry can’t sum up what I feel, its beyond Hungry, i want it so bad I can taste it I wake up dreaming about it, I wake up excited about it, its almost like it already happened but it hasn’t happened yet.

It’s almost forseeing what is going to happen Everybody is going for gold, everybody is going for a medal, but there are only three spots and only one top spot and at the end of the day, let the best man win.

Q: What would you say to those who think you just don’t have what it takes?

I would say go back to last year, everybody had me paste, for a bronze medal, and I came in there and I did what I had to do and I got the silver if the race was a little longer I would have got the gold so I would sum it up as saying impossible is nothing, I feel like the media can put who ever they want in the spotlight they can have a paper winner, as they call it, but at the end of the day it is going to be the man who comes out there and proves that he is the best.

Tyson Gay of the US, Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas competed in the men's 100 meters final at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, JAPAN on Sunday, Aug 26 2007. Tyson Gay crossed the line first in 9.85 seconds. Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas clocked a national record of 9.91 in second, and Asafa Powell took bronze with 9.96

About Derrick Atkins

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