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..

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

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-….

There are lots of women tennis players, for instance, but because not many of them seem to have much personality, they're interchangeable. You don't ….

I'm competitive - that's what defines me - and I love it..

The only limitations are mental. The guy who thinks positively will win..

What used to drive me was the fact that I wanted to be better than everybody at something. One of my best qualities is that I used whatever other peo….

In sport, if you want to be the best you have to compete against the best - I would much rather have come tenth and be judged against everyone than c….

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 da….

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

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….

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..

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

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

I don't even have my own computer..

When I lost my decathlon world record I took it like a man. I only cried for ten hours..

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

There's no day when I don't think it would be great to be 25 years old and have the Olympics coming in less than 300 days - and be the best in the wo….

Having the ambition of becoming Olympic champion is a whole different ambition from wanting to be the greatest..

Sport fosters many things that are good; teamwork and leadership..

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….