"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."

"For kids it's natural to be competitive."

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

"Most people doing the decathlon these days are quite boring, so people don't relate to them."

"We live in the best place on earth but at times the worst."