In the Chute with Sofie Abildtrup
EUGENE - Senior and Herning, Denmark native Sofie Abildtrup returns for her second and final season for the Ducks in 2005. She already ranks top-10 for the Ducks in the 100 (10th, 12.01), 200 (7th, 23.93) and 400 (3rd, 52.92). At the championship level, she was a Pac-10 scorer in the 400 (fifth, 53.22) and also competed at NCAA (20th, 53.72).
Q: You had a great first year for the Ducks in 2004. Now that you’re a year wiser and stronger how are you approaching your last season in Eugene?
SA: “I feel like this year is going to be a good one. Coach Light and I have talked about peaking a little later and having a really good meet here in the West Regional. I’m excited about that, and doing well in front of the Oregon crowd.”
Q: What are your goals place-wise at the Pac-10 or NCAA level, or do you have specific times you want to run?
SA: “I’m not sure how I want to place at those meets. In the 400, I want to run between 52.30 or 52.60 or so this year.”
Q: What were some of your fond memories of meets last year at Hayward Field?
SA: “The Pepsi meet was my favorite. It was really nice because there was good competition and a big crowd. I competed in a lot of events, and the crowd really helped me on the last 4x400.”
Q: This year, one of your country-women from Denmark, freshman Julie Schmidt-Scherer, has joined the team and runs similar sprint events. Talk about your prior relationship.
SA: “We lived fairly close together in Denmark, but didn’t train with the same coach. However, we always ran the same relays together at Sparta in Copenhagen and on the national team. I think she’ll improve a lot this year.”
Q: Has it been fun to have her here?
SA: “Yeah, she’s a good training partner, and it’s always good to have someone push you.”
Q: What are your plans this summer after the track season?
SA: “I’ll do summer school here, then go back to Denmark in mid-August and start graduate school in architecture in the fall. Track-wise I’ll be training through the European Championships in 2006. I still have two more years to get my masters at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and I’ll get my degree in art here before I leave.”
