TRANSITION FOR PERRY PAYS OFF.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer For an elite-level athlete in the prime of their career who's considered among the world's best, altering career directions would seem to be difficult decision. But to hear former Quartz Hill High track sensation Michelle Perry Michelle Perry (born 1 May 1979 in Granada Hills, California) is an American athlete. At the 2004 Summer Olympics she placed 14th overall in the heptathlon competition. Later, at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, she was awarded a gold medal in the 100 m hurdles with a tell it, giving up on the heptathlon heptathlon: see under decathlon. heptathlon Women's athletics competition. Contestants take part in seven different track-and-field events: 100-m hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, and 200- and 800-m runs. after placing 14th at the 2004 Olympics in Athens so she could focus on the 100-meter hurdles was easy. Perry made the transition in advance of the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, last summer. ``It really wasn't a difficult decision, it was best decision I could have made in the situation that I was in,'' Perry told the Daily News in a telephone interview. ``It was probably my best opportunity at medalling in world championships.'' The results suggest she probably made the right choice. Perry won the World Championships, catapulting her to the world's No. 1 ranking. She's since done nothing to diminish her star this year, successfully defending her 100m title on Sept. 9 in Stuggart, Germany, and winning the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix Grand Prix n. pl. Grand Prix Any of several competitive international road races for sports cars of specific engine size over an exacting, usually risky course. on Sept. 23, where Perry set a meet record with a 12.60-second time in this season's last major event. Her remarkable run began with a breakthrough at the June 2005 Reebok Ree´bok` n. 1. (Zool.) The peele. Grand Prix in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , where she clocked 12.45 time, shaving more than two tenths of a second off her previous best. She set a personal record later that summer in a Team USA
Team USA (also known as Team NWA or Team TNA) is a wrestling faction brought together as part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's X-Cup Tournaments, which qualifying event, which she ran in 12.43, the fourth best time ever recorded by a United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. runner and the ninth best time in the world. Her success has her believing she can outdo her previous Olympic accomplishment at Beijing in 2008. ``I really believe that I can bring home the gold in Beijing,'' Perry said. Perry credits an adjustment she made under the tutelage TUTELAGE. State of guardianship; the condition of one who is subject to the control of a guardian. of coach Bobby Kersee. Perry was unaware until watching video clips that her trail leg was flipping to the side slightly. Straightening her trail leg became the focus of training. She says the improved mechanics produce a more efficient stride. ``You wouldn't know it unless you saw it (on video),'' Perry said. ``I had to focus on it mentally to execute it.' And although she expected significant improvement in her time, she acknowledged the Reebok Grand Prix results were a surprise. ``It's funny,'' she said. ``I always believed I could do it, but then when happened it was a major surprise. I really didn't realize I ran that fast. ``It validated all the work we did.'' Perry, 27, has dreamed of competing on the world track stage since she was in grade school, watching female track legends Jackie Joyner-Kersee Jackie Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962 in East St. Louis, Illinois) is a retired American athlete, ranked amongst the all-time greatest in heptathlon as well as the long jump. She won three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals. and Florence Griffith-Joyner dominate the sport in the 1980's. It became apparent to her at an early age that she had talent. ``I was beating boys,'' she said with a chuckle. gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com (661) 267-7802 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Quartz Hill High product Michelle Perry races during the 100-meter hurdles event at the Russian Challenge in Moscow. Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP/Getty Images (2) PERRY |
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