Daley Thompson Quotes

Nowadays, to be a good world-ranked decathlete, you need to be good at everything.

The heptathlon is made up of seven events, and people have strengths and weaknesses.

Thankfully, I found athletics. My mum didn't like it at first, but the funny thing is that, now, she's the biggest athletics fan out there. She's a real expert, and she's got all the heptathlon books.

Decathletes have to train for every event: sprints one day, field events the next. You pump up to make yourself strong enough to throw? Try pole vaulting at 250 pounds. There are 32 guys in most decathlons, and they're in 32 little track meets.

Speed is more important than endurance in the decathlon.

I love watching track and field - the 4x100 relay, the 100-(meter) dash, the 200-(meter) dash. To see what they're able to do, I love watching that.

I literally did athletics my whole life.

Track and field has always interested me.

When I was younger, I used to be a high jumper before I switched to hurdles.

The next great decathlete is going to be a runner. I still feel that a Dan O'Brien, if he was a runner and not a sprinter, could have gone over 9,000 points.

In the heptathlon, you can be any shape. Some of the girls are more built than others, and their strong events are the shot put and javelin.

I like watching athletics and I like watching boxing. Probably the sprints, I like watching sprinting.

If I had to be in the Olympics, I suppose I would do the javelin throw.

I think I always prefer the long jump, high jump, and javelin. I don't like the 400 metres and the pole vault except when I'm really in shape.

People forget that track and field is one of the hardest sports because we compete against all the world. There are many sports when you are up against only 15 or 20 countries.

I've never thrown a javelin. What kind of sport is that? It's hilarious.

Kids can have great passion and great ability but if you have the facilities for your particular sport that can give you the inspiration to become a sportsman.

I trained with a few Olympic runners and jumpers. Just to try to get a little bit faster, a little bit better. Anything I could do to try to get a little bit better and stay ahead of the competition.

I actually like indoor track and field more than outdoor.

I think I was in the most historical and golden era of track and field.

I would like to have a decathlon where all of my throws are really consistent and set the tone. That I'm good all-around, not just a speed and jump guy.

In the television era, the second week of the Olympics is reserved for what is considered the marquee event: track and field.

I've got to do Gotzis at least once.

In England I played everything - swimming, athletics, football, rugby, badminton, cricket - all of that stuff. I was in the first teams for all the sports at Brighton, played on the wing in rugby, and ran 100m, 200m, 400m, and did long jump and even the javelin at one point. In the States I did a bit of track, but mainly I was there for the boxing.

My PE teacher used to scout for Sporting and, when I was nine, he recommended me for a trial. From there, I just went up through the age groups and was always kept on while others were dropping out.