When you're young, you don't think very far ahead. You just think in terms of the next day, the next week, the next competition. You don't think about injuries that could threaten your long-term health.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've had a couple of years where injuries have not let me develop in the way I wanted. When I was 21, after the European Championship, I had more injuries. Everything has been less continuous and it has cost me more progress. Continuity is what got me where I am.
Injuries are not only a physical question, which is the most important thing, of course, but also a question of your mind. If you're thinking: 'I'm not going to make it', 'I can't cope', 'it hurts', 'it's never going to get better', then it won't.
Injuries is a part of a sportsmen life; you have to live with it. You can't be down with that; it is not gonna help you.
The thing about getting older is the injuries. You just get injured more often. You take time off, you come back, you get injured again and you never get in shape.
When you're young, all the accidents, all the pain you take them, but at least you're very strong. In fact through time, it's just adding more and more pain, more and more loss and it makes you more fragile.
I never had a serious injury that kept me out of a big competition. Now everyone has injuries - to their feet or their knees or their backs.
Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.
Injuries aren't anything foreign to me. I am used to overcoming illness and injury; you can't complain about it. When you're standing up there on the blocks, it doesn't really matter: it's all about the next minute.
Your body actually reminds you about your age and your injuries - the body has a stronger memory than your mind.
The older you get, the easier it is to get injured. But what I've learned the hard way is that the more excess weight you have, the more likely you are to get injured doing everyday things.
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