Wilson Kipketer Quotes
born 1972 Denmark
Wilson Kosgei Kipketer (born 12 December 1972) is a Danish former middle-distance runner.
Random Wilson Kipketer quote
10 quotes
When you see athletes begin to understand that and progress, it brings a great sense of satisfaction. Nothing may ever fully replace the thrill of doing it for yourself, but this is a great alternative.
We need to help young people see that it’s possible to achieve success without cutting corners, and to do that they have to start out with the right mentality.
But you need to be patient, and some young athletes are not. Coaching is like planting an apple tree, and in the future I want them to give fruit.
It meant I left the sport when I was still on the podium. The worst is when you continue until people cannot see you anymore – I never wanted to do that.
It turned out I had malaria. From that point on, my body would never quite work the same way again.
For most athletes, it’s when they choose to retire or are forced into it. But for me, it happened long before. It happened when I was at my peak.
But I never thought I was finished.
It’s a chance for me to pass on the lessons of my career and many times, it has nothing to do with what happens on the track. The first question I ask athletes: what do you want?
It’s often not a problem of the training, it’s how to manage yourself. I try to teach athletes to think about themselves before they think about running: how to utilise their resources, their time, their money.
But five years later, I was world champion at senior level. I always had that plan in mind and young athletes need to learn that to reach a certain level, you need to make a choice. It’s about being responsible for your actions.