I have made great friends in the sport and although we don’t see each other regularly, we are all in touch. Fellow athletes from home and competitors from around the globe have been an important part of my career. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of my heroes, too, and I know how important those people have been for me. I used to love watching the American sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis. To me he was an absolute legend, with his ten Olympic medals, nine of which were gold. I met him at the Olympics in 1996 and I had my photo taken with him and that made me really proud. Now he’s a friend of mine on Facebook! We don’t chat but we are linked and this is amazing to me. I loved Daley Thompson, the decathlon double Olympic gold medallist, too. He was a hero in Britain when I was growing up. He took the sport to a new level because he wasn’t just a sports star, he was a hero. Everyone loved him. He was outspoken, he was funny and he was a winner. We all thought he was a huge character but he was also committed and totally believed in himself.
What do You think about The Flying Pineapple (2011)?
