ABSTRACT
25 years. How have I kept going for so long? That is a big question. I am driven by the possibility of becoming a little bit better tomorrow, no matter what. That is perhaps the most important thing for me; “Is it possible to do something better?”. Even after winning the World Championships I trained in the afternoon because I’ve not felt that my performances were good enough and because, ultimately, it’s the Olympics I intend to win. I want to be better. I hate to lose, but what I hate even more is to fail at something that I have practised. What this means is that I accept being beaten because someone else has performed better, but I do not accept failing at something I should have been better at practising. By the same token, it is certainly true that if one is to keep going in a sport for a long time enjoyment is extremely important. For me this is about passion; an inner drive making you want to take things just a bit further, and then a bit further still. Without passion I would never have continued for so long.
