I am an education ambassador, mainly working with schools.

I'm obsessive. I want to know the answer to how good I am. Most people aren't.

Athletes these days are too robotic. People like to see performances filled with emotion. In my career I tried to be amusing, to differentiate myself from the other champions.

Most people doing the decathlon these days are quite boring, so people don't relate to them.

There were only ever two black kids at my school. I never considered myself to be 'a black kid'. I was who I was. Which isn't to say things haven't happened to me that wouldn't have happened if I wasn't black.

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

We crave instant success these days. If you are a really good sprinter and long jumper, you don't want to spend two or three years on a whole new set of events. You're used to doing well and it's difficult to give that up.