But if kids take up things like hockey and football they will go back to it.

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.

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

It's good to be difficult to know. Too many people are too easy to know.

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

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

When you're walking into the stadium, you just say to yourself, 'the 100m is the same anywhere, the shot put is the same weight anywhere.'