Dominican Felix Sanchez Favored to Olympic 400-Meter Hurdles

By Parke Brewer¹
For an athlete who had hoped to be a baseball player, Felix Sanchez is doing quite well. He had to turn to athletics² after breaking his hand in an off-season wrestling match. The injury did not heal sufficiently³ to enable him to properly grip a baseball bat, but it has all worked out.
Sanchez, 26, is a two-time world champion in the 400-meter hurdles⁴ and he is riding a 40-race winning streak⁵ that dates back to July 2, 2001.
Sanchez's parents are from the Dominican Republic, but he was born in New York, grew up in California and graduated from the University of Southern California. He has represented the Dominican Republic since 1999.
"When I compete, obviously I have my family and my country in my mind, but also the future of the Dominicans and the future of Latin America to kind of push them into, to motivate them to succeed us for the future of Latin America and Mexico and the Dominican Republic as well," he says.
The one-meter-80 tall Sanchez first drew attention when he won his first 400-meter hurdles world title in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada. That was the Dominican Republic's first medal at a major international track and field meet. Sanchez successfully defended that title in Paris last year.
Only the legendary⁶ Edwin Moses of the United States was able to achieve that feat⁷ in the grueling event. Moses, in fact, had an amazing winning streak of 122 races between 1977 and 1987.
So with his winning streak now at 40, is Sanchez aiming for the mark held by Moses?
"It's not really my goal because especially because now the last few years there are at least 10 competitors that can run under 48:00," he explains. "Edwin Moses was running at least the first seven years of his career there were only three and he was one of them. So I think it'd be a lot more difficult and really unrealistic to try to set a goal for 120-some races consecutive⁸."
Felix Sanchez does not want his winning streak stopped here at the Olympics, but he is realistic.
"Every race I'm sure they [my opponents] are waiting for the chance that I make a mistake, or that they run a great race and they beat me," he adds. "And one day that's going to happen, but hopefully after that happens I'll respond and still be victorious⁹ as the great ones have."
With two world championships in the 400-meter hurdles, a Pan American Games title and a sweep of the Golden League series of international meets in 2002, Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic has one big goal left.
"My thing has always been to get a medal at every major championship, and there's one more championship for me to get a medal at and that's here in Athens," he says. "After that my career will be complete, and everything else will be just really for time and just for my mark in history."
Felix Sanchez was highly disappointed when he failed to reach the 400-meter hurdles final and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He's determined¹⁰ not only to make the final at these Olympics, but to win it.
Parke Brewer, VOA sports in Athens.
注释：
wrestling 摔跤
heal 治愈
sufficiently 充分地
grip 紧握
Dominican Republic 多米尼加共和国
motivate 激发
Edmonton 埃德蒙顿（加拿大西南部城市）
amazing 令人惊异的
consecutive 连续的
sweep 席卷

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

3 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

4 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

5 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

6 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

7 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

8 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

9 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。