Throughout my athletic career, the overall goal was always to be a better athlete than I was at the moment – whether next week, next month or next year. The improvement was the goal. The medal was simply the ultimate reward for achieving that goal.
All pressure is self-inflicted. It's what you make of it or how you let it rub off on you.
Competing is exciting and winning is exhilarating, but the true prize will always be the self-knowledge and understanding that you have gained along the way.
Sport is a universal language, building more bridges between people than anything else I can think of.
Vision is a romantic thing. We have got into 'talent identification'. I am much more interested in passion - finding people who are really excited about doing something.
The nine inches right here; set it straight and you can beat anybody in the world.
Inspirational leaders need to have a winning mentality in order to inspire respect. It is hard to trust in the leadership of someone who is half-hearted about their purpose, or only sporadic in focus or enthusiasm.
Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!
If you lived in Sheffield and were called Sebastian, you had to learn to run fast at a very early stage.
World records are only borrowed.
I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners.
It is to create the best Games the world has ever seen by unlocking the UK's unrivalled passion for sport, by delivering the best Games for athletes to compete in, by showcasing London's unmatched cultural wealth and diversity and by creating a real and lasting legacy.
Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning, middle, end, a story unfolding.
Nobody ever becomes an expert parent. But I think good parenting is about consistency. Its about being there at big moments, but its also just the consistency of decision making. And its routine.
It is really important that we promote competitive support in schools. It is very important that we recognise that has to be underpinned by good quality physical education and by getting people into patterns of exercise.
Quite simply the Games are the biggest opportunity sport in this country has ever had. It is one that we must not squander.
We need to be confident. We need not to blink.
