Haile Gebrselassie Quotes
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You must do as your people do. If my people are poor, I must be poor. People ask me, 'Why don't you find a personal coach or a private car?' I can't. Then I won't be part of my people.
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What is important is to win.
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When I wake up at 5 in the morning is it just to jog? Definitely not, I give it all of my efforts.
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Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country. For me sometimes it is difficult even to know who the athletes are who are competing at the highest level. There are thousands.
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Athletics is in my blood.
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It is not my duty to spend my money in my country, but it is what I want to do. There is nowhere else I would like to invest.
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At the moment I am a little bit politician, yes. I think that could be my next step. It is not because I want power, it is because of what I think I could do for the people.
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You know for me when I promise something I want to deliver. If you don't, you have to disappear.
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When you promise something, you must fulfill it.
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Always, if you win mentally, you can win physically as well.
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I find the business world hard.
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My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money. Then I won a Mercedes at the world championships and I gave it to him. From the moment it arrived my father said: 'Good, you can support not just yourself but me too'.
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I wanted to be famous. I wanted people to talk about me.
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I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.
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I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.'
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If you are a really good marathoner, you have to run New York.
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I know what I want when I start a marathon: to win! But what do you want? Make sure you're clear in advance and don't go out too fast.
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I love running and I will always run.
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First, do enough training. Then believe in yourself and say: I can do it. Tomorrow is my day. And then say: the person in front of me, he is just a human being as well; he has two legs, I have two legs, that is all. That is mentally how you prepare.
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I think if you come first with a new world record, that is the best.
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I want to go down in history.
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In the marathon a crazy athlete can just keep pushing from the beginning, at a championship you don't need a time just to win the race.
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The more you are getting older, you lose a little something. Of course there is another advantage, because of your long experience you can use it.
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This is what I wanted. They tell me that London is the best field in history. I wanted to be part of that. Because everyone will be there it will be a wonderful challenge for me. You can see the best runners, how they look, how they run. For me to beat the best is what counts.