As athletes, we're used to reacting quickly. Here, it's 'come, stop, come, stop.' There's a lot of downtime. That's the toughest part of the day.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. It's hard to be beaten by a small margin, and I've spoken with athletes who, for years afterward, have been tormented by the knowledge that, had they done something ever so slightly different, they could have been one-ten-thousandth of a second quicker.
As athletes, we all have egos, we all think we can help, and when you're not given that chance, it's hard to watch.
One minute you're a developing athlete trying to get to the top, then the next minute you do well and win a medal somewhere, and then it's all foisted on you. You never know when it's going to happen. You don't think about the media side of things when you're a young athlete trying to do well.
I think one has to understand that there are stages in life, and that the life of an athlete has its limits. It's short, and then it stops, and sooner or later you have to accept that.
Athletes can be a very stressy bunch. We like routine. I'm a very routined person. If something changes, I really don't like it.
Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.
Sometimes women get devastated by failing. Athletes don't; they just know that means they've got to practise harder, and they've got to do something else differently.
Sometimes, quite out of the blue, sport will throw up a tender moment, when hostility ceases and an opponent is acknowledged.
Most athletes get intimidated once they see how many fans are out there, but it almost calms me down in a way because I think of it as a fun way to show off what I've been working on.
When you are an athlete, it's difficult to take time off and say you want to come back without everyone judging you and attacking you.