Ever since I was a kid, whatever situation I was presented with, I always made the most of it.

If you don't want to grow old, then slow down the slowing down process.

I have the mentality of a winner. I first went to the Olympic Games when I was 17, three weeks after my O-levels, and I remember sitting in a dining-hall filled with the world's best athletes.

The decathlon takes so long to learn that people who are good athletes don't want to go back to the beginning again.

I was in the doldrums for a while after my athletics career ended in 1992. I spent six to eight hours a day training, for 18 years, and it took a long time to get over the regret that I wasn't competing in major championships any more. All I ever wanted to be was the best. But I find new projects and I keep things in perspective.

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

I did not want to be the best black man of the year; I wanted to be the best man of the year.