Our responsibility is not simply shielding those we care for from adversity but preparing them to meet it well.

In sports, I refused to do any interviews that were just going to become human-interest stories. Don't turn me into a tragic heroine.

We all bullet point our triumphs, but I am who I am because of everything you don't see on my CV. The stuff that doesn't work out teaches you how to trust your instincts and adapt.

I had a paper round and every night I would put the dinner on before Mum came home from work. I was capable because I had to be.

It's hard enough for women to walk on high heels. And I'm on stilts!

The power of the human will to compete and the drive to excel beyond the body's normal capabilities is most beautifully demonstrated in the arena of sport.

Success isn't winning every time. A lot of different factors go into every race, and you can't control all of them. Success means doing as excellent a job as you can on that particular day. The people I admire most aren't necessarily the most wonderful athletes. I admire the ones who keep coming back and doing it, time after time.