KEY POINTS:
Nick Willis says he believes that the thwarting of drug cheats in his sport helped even out the field and secure him an Olympic bronze medal in the 1500m early yesterday.
The 25-year-old Wellingtonian revealed that he had asked people to pray for "a fair and clean race".
"I really feel a lot of guys who may have been getting extra advantage, it didn't come through for them in these Games and I feel like a lot of my results came from other people not performing.
"I'm not saying any names. But I could name seven or eight guys [who] I think didn't perform anywhere near what they should have. I really believe that our prayers were answered and that people weren't able to fulfil the ability they normally show on a weekly basis on the circuit."
Willis became the sixth New Zealander to clasp a 1500m medal, joining Jack Lovelock (gold, 1936), Peter Snell (gold, 1964), John Davies (bronze, 1964), Rod Dixon (bronze, 1972), and John Walker (gold, 1976).
As a keen student of track and field, he was well aware of the significance of his medal. He believed that his 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medal had helped revive New Zealanders' recognition of the country's tradition in the track's marquee event; his Olympic medal would help the rest of the world remember New Zealand's fine history in the 1500m.
He hoped that his achievement would help propel more young runners into the elite levels of the sport.
"Just as I had read the books of Snell and Walker and also some of the British guys, [and thought], 'If they can do it, why can't I?', I hope to continue to give some inspiration to kids in a pretty tough world."
As a young athlete, there were lots of distractions from being dedicated to training.
"It's really, really tough and so they've got to have that belief that it's going to be worth it if they stick it out. And I'm proof of that. I had to make those hard decisions, I didn't always but when I did, it was well worthwhile."
He intends travelling to New Zealand from his US base in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take his medal on the road in a speaking tour to inspire youth.
"We really want to tour the country and give the kids a chance to [see] a medal and talk to them. I really look forward to the upcoming months and years where this can be an opportunity. I really believe this is my calling to do that."
He also believes he is living proof of the fact that athletes from the West can compete in middle-distance events against the Africans.
"I feel like I'm representing a huge range of track and field fans."
That support had buoyed him as he prepared for the final. "My wife, my sister-in-law, my brother and coach, Ron - every single person somehow had this innate belief I could do it. My training partner Nate Brennan when we were warming up for the semi-final, he said 'I'm going for the final but you've got a chance for a medal'.
"My massage therapist said, 'There's something about you Nick. You don't necessarily say it but it oozes out of you that you believe you can do it'."
Meanwhile, he has said he would stay in the US at least until his running career is over. Being based there enables him to compete in the US and Europe and, with the sponsorship of Reebok, be a professional runner. His medal would "help pay off the mortgage".
At some point, he would like to live in New Zealand again. But before then, he has his eyes set on London - and beyond.
