Having the ambition of becoming Olympic champion is a whole different ambition from wanting to be the greatest.

You can be an Olympic champion in 9.5 secs, but to be the greatest, there's more to it. It takes a bit of forethought and a lot of mental application.

I have the mentality of a winner. I first went to the Olympic Games when I was 17, three weeks after my O-levels, and I remember sitting in a dining-hall filled with the world's best athletes.

I want to be an Olympic champion.

Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can't afford losing one.

Obviously in 2008 it was 538 (to win an Olympic gold) and most of my scores have been over that this year.