Olympic gold medalist: 'Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not possible'
EUGENE, Ore. -- The announcer in Track Town Plaza put hurdler Joanna Hayes on the spot.
"And how can you prove that you got the Olympic Gold Medal?" he asked.
"Well, I can prove that right now for all of you," said Hayes, holding up the gold she won in 1994 in the women's 100 meter hurdles. "This is how I can prove it."
The children gathered next to Hayward Field let out an audible gasp that turned to cheers.
"I'll actually let you pass it around and hold onto it," Hayes said.
Hayes has had mixed results at Hayward Field. She won her event at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic only to place 7th at the Eugene 08 Olympic trials, out of contention for the Beijing Olympics.
Hayes won a different race Thursday, using her Olympic gold to inspire the next generation.
"People say, 'You let them hold it?'" Hayes said. "I'm not worried about anything happening to it, I just want to share everything I have with the kids."
The medal got the oohs and ahhs -- and gave Hayes the tool she needed to reach the kids, who politely waited in line afterwards for a chance to get her autograph.
"When you give up on something that you want, you have failed yourself," Hayes told the crowd. "Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not possible."
