It’s 500 days to go before London 2012. How does reaching that figure make you feel?
It’s incredibly exciting. London 2012 is going to be the biggest and best sporting event ever staged in this country and the anticipation really is growing day by day. I think the completion of the Velodrome, the first venue to be completed in Olympic Park, is a big moment and with every such landmark we reach the Games just become that bit more tangible. In track racing terms, the bell has sounded and we’re starting the final lap.
The athletes must now begin to finalise their preparations for the Games. But can you ever really prepare for something as big as an Olympic Games?
There's no substitute for walking out on to the Olympic arena with a tracksuit on, warming up for the most important event in your life. I can tell the Team GB athletes what it's going to be like, but until you experience it for yourself, until you are in that situation, you don't know how you're going to respond. It took me two Olympic Games to get used to it, and probably as many major championships.
Who do you think are the athletes to watch at London 2012?
I would definitely go for Usain Bolt in the 100m from an international perspective and Phillips Idowu in the triple jump from a British point of view. In the Paralympics I'll be watching Oscar Pistorius on the track and Ellie Symonds in the pool.
What has being an Olympic champion meant to you?
I remember Craig Reedie, who was then chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA), put the gold medal around my neck (in Sydney in 2000). As he did so, he shook my hand and said: “You’re life will never be the same again”. The real meaning of this comment is only now becoming clear.
Why?
I only appreciate now what it means to be an Olympic champion. At the time it was just what I did, I performed and won medals and moved on the next challenge. There was never time to stop and take it in. But being the Olympic champion is different. Personally being the world record holder gives me the greater sense of achievement, to have done something better than anybody else from an objective standpoint is an incredible feeling. But the Olympics are different. Winning the gold medal has had a greater effect on my life, no question. The Olympics is about more than sport, it’s about life and values. That’s why it has endured.
What is the most important single factor that separates winners and the rest?
Part of it is a confidence thing: the belief in your ability to perform in that type of environment. Many athletes go into it and it's just too big for them, and say ‘I didn't feel any pressure’, but it's just that your mind doesn't respond to it. It's a feeling like you don't belong. Some athletes take to it like a duck to water and think I've always dreamed of being here, this is my stage. Others take a little bit longer.
Will a ‘home’ Games add extra pressure?
Yes. The home crowd experience can lift athletes or put them under intense pressure, so they need to learn how to use this environment to their advantage. Recently I went into the stadium on foot for the first time, (as opposed to being on a bus) with Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson, and we were all scared. We thought, Oh my God! This is going to be full of screaming British fans and it will be overwhelming even for the most experienced athlete. Your life can be transformed by what happens in the next hour or two hours, it can become too much even to someone who has been there and done it before. It will be an experience like no other.
How much of being able to cope is in the head?
Someone like Usain Bolt is so much better than anyone else he can be 1 or 2% off mentally and will still be fine. But you can throw a blanket over the top competitors in many of the sports. There’s always luck, but it's also about maintaining focus and concentration, not being overwhelmed by the situation. Not being the one who blinks. Take Athens as an example, five of the Team GB gold medals were decided by half a second. Change that the other way and we would have lost five of our gold medals – rowing, Kelly Holmes in the 800metres, one of the relays, cycling etc - in those situations yet it is about mental toughness. It's also about preparation. What is the best way for me to run this race. When you are physically up against someone else, what you do and what they do will affect the other's performance. Preparation is very important, understanding which tactics will suit you.
When we watch someone like Bolt, do you sometimes wonder how much faster anyone can possibly run?
It's an age-old question what are the limits of human performance? You think that the margins of improvement will get smaller and smaller but then along came someone like Usain Bolt and blows away what is one of the toughest of records – the men’s 100 metres. If you're looking for one of the most competitive of events and strongest world records, the 100 metres must be up there. Yet here’s this guy who rewrites the record books. We had someone like Michael Johnson doing something that everyone thought was superhuman in 1996, and now Bolt has made it look almost ordinary.
How do programmes like the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes programme help the future stars of Team GB and Paralympics GB?
They are essential, working with organisations like SportsAid to provide valuable support at a time in an athlete’s career when they need it most. I remember with great fondness what it was like to get my first financial award from SportsAid back in 1988, when I was 22, and how it felt to be officially ‘recognised for the first time. I’m so pleased now to be a part of providing that recognition and support to an emerging generation of talent through Local Heroes.
How much has changed in terms of for example, sports science, since you retired from competition?
The advances in sport science have been remarkable. Since I retired it feels like it has been transformed. It's almost like it's a different type of experience to be an elite athlete compared to what it was when I competed. Much of that has to do with National Lottery funding, which has made a massive, massive difference. It's much more centralized, and there are certain ways of doing things, whereas before it felt much more entrepreneurial. You found your own way.
Q: It’s 500 days to go before London 2012. How does reaching that figure make you feel?
It’s incredibly exciting. London 2012 is going to be the biggest and best sporting event ever staged in this country and the anticipation really is growing day by day. I think the completion of the Velodrome, the first venue to be completed in Olympic Park, is a big moment and with every such landmark we reach the Games just become that bit more tangible. In track racing terms, the bell has sounded and we’re starting the final lap.
Q: The athletes must now begin to finalise their preparations for the Games. But can you ever really prepare for something as big as an Olympic Games?
There's no substitute for walking out on to the Olympic arena with a tracksuit on, warming up for the most important event in your life. I can tell the Team GB athletes what it's going to be like, but until you experience it for yourself, until you are in that situation, you don't know how you're going to respond. It took me two Olympic Games to get used to it, and probably as many major championships.
Q: Who do you think are the athletes to watch at London 2012?
I would definitely go for Usain Bolt in the 100m from an international perspective and Phillips Idowu in the triple jump from a British point of view. In the Paralympics I'll be watching Oscar Pistorius on the track and Ellie Symonds in the pool.
Q: What has being an Olympic champion meant to you?
I remember Craig Reedie, who was then chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA), put the gold medal around my neck (in Sydney in 2000). As he did so, he shook my hand and said: “Your life will never be the same again”. The real meaning of this comment is only now becoming clear.
Q: Why?
I only appreciate now what it means to be an Olympic champion. At the time it was just what I did, I performed and won medals and moved on the next challenge. There was never time to stop and take it in. But being the Olympic champion is different. Personally being the world record holder gives me the greater sense of achievement, to have done something better than anybody else from an objective standpoint is an incredible feeling. But the Olympics are different. Winning the gold medal has had a greater effect on my life, no question. The Olympics is about more than sport, it’s about life and values. That’s why it has endured.
Q: What is the most important single factor that separates winners and the rest?
Part of it is a confidence thing: the belief in your ability to perform in that type of environment. Many athletes go into it and it's just too big for them, and say ‘I didn't feel any pressure’, but it's just that your mind doesn't respond to it. It's a feeling like you don't belong. Some athletes take to it like a duck to water and think I've always dreamed of being here, this is my stage. Others take a little bit longer.
Q: Will a ‘home’ Games add extra pressure?
Yes. The home crowd experience can lift athletes or put them under intense pressure, so they need to learn how to use this environment to their advantage. Recently I went into the stadium on foot for the first time, (as opposed to being on a bus) with Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson, and we were all scared. We thought, Oh my God! This is going to be full of screaming British fans and it will be overwhelming even for the most experienced athlete. Your life can be transformed by what happens in the next hour or two hours, it can become too much even to someone who has been there and done it before. It will be an experience like no other.
Q: How much of being able to cope is in the head?
Someone like Usain Bolt is so much better than anyone else he can be 1 or 2% off mentally and will still be fine. But you can throw a blanket over the top competitors in many of the sports. There’s always luck, but it's also about maintaining focus and concentration, not being overwhelmed by the situation. Not being the one who blinks. Take Athens as an example, five of the Team GB gold medals were decided by half a second. Change that the other way and we would have lost five of our gold medals – rowing, Kelly Holmes in the 800metres, one of the relays, cycling etc - in those situations it is about mental toughness. It's also about preparation. What is the best way for me to run this race. When you are physically up against someone else, what you do and what they do will affect the other's performance. Preparation is very important, understanding which tactics will suit you.
Q: When we watch someone like Bolt, do you sometimes wonder how much faster anyone can possibly run?
It's an age-old question: what are the limits of human performance? You think that the margins of improvement will get smaller and smaller but then along came someone like Usain Bolt and blows away what is one of the toughest of records – the men’s 100 metres. If you're looking for one of the most competitive of events and strongest world records, the 100 metres must be up there. Yet here’s this guy who rewrites the record books. We had someone like Michael Johnson doing something that everyone thought was superhuman in 1996, and now Bolt has made it look almost ordinary.
Q: How do programmes like the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes programme help the future stars of Team GB and Paralympics GB?
They are essential, working with organisations like SportsAid to provide valuable support at a time in an athlete’s career when they need it most. I remember with great fondness what it was like to get my first financial award from SportsAid back in 1988, when I was 22, and how it felt to be officially ‘recognised' for the first time. I’m so pleased now to be a part of providing that recognition and support to an emerging generation of talent through Local Heroes.
Q: How much has changed in terms of for example, sports science, since you retired from competition?
The advances in sport science have been remarkable. Since I retired it feels like it has been transformed. It's almost like it's a different type of experience to be an elite athlete compared to what it was when I competed. Much of that has to do with National Lottery funding, which has made a massive, massive difference. It's much more centralized, and there are certain ways of doing things, whereas before it felt much more entrepreneurial. You found your own way.