Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I've made a lot of friends over the years through racing, but we weren't necessarily teammates.
Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.
I think that the relationship between two top-level athletes who are rivals is one of the most fascinating human relationships to explore. It's always one atom away from being a tragedy.
Friendship is something whose depth fits human aspirations and fulfills human possibilities. It has heft to it, as a gold-piece does and a gambling chip does not.
Friendship is a very taxing and arduous form of leisure activity.
I've never felt any sense of competition with anybody, and we're all friends; we're all good friends.
Obviously, when you're up against somebody you don't like there's extra motivation, but I don't think any person going for an Olympic gold is going to put friendship first.
Of course, rivals do affect athletes mentally, but if you are competing with top-notch athletes, you will push each other, you will encourage each other.
I think it is possible to be friends even if you're competing. You know, there's so many guys in rooms that try to psych each other out, and it doesn't work. It only hinders their work.
Keeping score is for games, not friendships.