Anna Cockrell spoke with Markos Papadatos after her win in the women’s 400 meter hurdles race at the 2026 USA Track and Field Championships, which were held in Randall’s Island Park in New York.
She clocked 52.94 seconds, which secured her the gold medal.
“It felt great! I am really pleased with it. I am happy to get the win,” she exclaimed.
When asked if there are any areas she would like to improve upon, she responded, “Yeah, I would like to clean up some of the steps and make them smoother. Overall, I think it went really well, especially for this time of year and this type of meet, so I am happy about it.”
For young and aspiring track and field athletes, she said, “Stay with it! The sport is really fun when you are PR-ing all the time (doing personal bests) and you are winning, but as you get better, the PRs get further and further apart. So, stay with it while you are waiting for the next PR.”
“Don’t measure success with the way you PR,” she said. “Understand that there is a win in every race and there is something to work on in every race.”
“Success means doing the best I can and showing up for myself, and overall, feeling good.”
“Thank you so much for supporting and for watching. It has been a long and crazy journey but it feels like we are just getting started.”
To learn more about Anna Cockrell, follow her on Instagram.
