I think one of the things about being a good coach is to recognise when you have given all that you can. In fact there should be some sort of unspoken law that says that a coach cannot have anyone for three or four years - if you have not passed on most of the stuff you know in that time, then you are not doing a good job.

Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can't afford losing one.

Los Angeles was great fun because it was the polar opposite of Moscow in 1980. It was sunny and bright, lots of colours around, whereas Moscow was dark and oppressive.

In my heart of hearts my motivation would always have been to be the best, and I think that athletics is probably what I was built for.

People tend to like an athlete's performance, but if you don't get a feeling for the individual, you're not very emotive about them.

Sometimes you have to resist working on your strengths in favour of your weaknesses. The decathlon requires a wide range of skills.

You can be an Olympic champion in 9.5 secs, but to be the greatest, there's more to it. It takes a bit of forethought and a lot of mental application.