The stopwatch doesn't lie. The tape measure doesn't lie.

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

During a photo-call with fellow Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew- Pity Steve Ovett didn't show up. Then we could have had the good, the bald and the ugly.

If you work hard in real life, people tend to get in your way - either from inertia or prejudice - and they stop you achieving things. It's the worst thing about real life compared with sports, where you generally get what you deserve: if you're the fastest guy, you win; there are no other games being played.

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

I am only about winning and getting better.

Even if you've been involved in a World Cup, the Olympics is huge. Only the Games has the power to change communities.