I never competed against athletes. I competed against perfection.

Amateurism is the strongest form of discrimination in sports. Because it discriminates against the underprivileged, it discriminates against the poor. If we want sports to go back to the wealthy, let's make it amateur again.

Join me in the final race to smash poverty and achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals

By carrying the torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation.

You can't live your life through your children.

I like the pressure of having to perform so people will come to me.

To this day, most people think of me as the fastest human. They don't really think me as a long jumper, although that's the event I had more success in.