“I think there's institutionalised racism in this country.” — Linford Christie

I used to say to my opponents: 'If you let me beat you, I'm going to tell your kids you were beaten by an older man.' When I beat them I would tell them I did it with a slight hamstring problem or that I was only feeling 80 per cent fit.

What motivated me as much as anything was to show the racists that a black man could bring pride and honour to Britain.

It should be your parents and others in the community that you look up to. For me it was my grandmother, a great woman. She had wisdom and knowledge.

Regardless of what I've ever done or will ever do, I'll always be black.