The Harrier Who Flew

Daley Thompson’s journey to four world records and Olympic gold in the decathlon began in Haywards Heath.

- Peter Wallace

British track and field has thrown up some exceptional athletes in its history, from Sebastian Coe to Paula Radcliffe, Mo Farah to Katharine Merry. These individuals reigned supreme on the world stage and are rightly revered as some of the greatest athletes to have worn Team GB’s colour.

However, there’s surely an argument to be made that the decathlon – with its ten-strong list of events requiring skill in everything from sprinting to shotput, and the stamina to compete over two consecutive days – is somewhat unique.

Therefore, Daley Thompson’s four world records in the event stand apart even in the pantheon of athletic greats.

“It would have been a lot easier to be a sprinter, because they only do seven or eight hours of training a week, whereas we used to do seven or eight hours, four or five events, a day,” the 61-year-old laughs. “So there were a couple of times where you think it would be easier to just be a sprinter or something!”

Daley’s never one to avoid speaking his mind. It might have landed him in hot water in the past, but today’s he is living up to a more enthusiastic reputation befitting of his work in motivational speaking, especially when it comes to espousing the need for people to stay fit and healthy in the modern age.

“Well, it’s not too sporting but it’s a healthy and fairly fit one,” he says of his own life. “Little and often is my motto for exercise. I try and do at least 15 minutes, six times a week. Having said that, I sometimes do 15 minutes three or four times a day. Whenever I have some time basically.

“You only have to look at the newspaper headlines about how overweight we are, and how many mental health problems there are these days, and one of the great things to alleviate both those problems is exercise.”