I appreciate what I've achieved, and nearly all of that is because of my dad. He pushed me to train harder than I would have done if he wasn't there to discipline me.
It was my mom who pushed me. My mom actually pushed my dad to train me. My dad knows what it takes to play at this level and be a really good basketball player, and he just wanted me to make the choice for myself.
I've always worked out, but running pushed bits of me harder than anything else I had ever done.
My dad pushed me really hard as a kid because he understood that I could be great. He saw the drive that I possessed, and the talent, and he didn't want to see it go to waste. So he pushed me. When he passed away, I had to push myself. And I wasn't going to be denied.
It was Labor Day weekend in 1983, and Dad hired me to run Mick's Lounge, a bar he co-owned, for $200 a week. The business was nearly bankrupt. But I said, 'Dad, I can fix it.' It was the most natural thing I'd ever done. It just made sense to me.
I still love my dad and appreciate what he's done for me, but I despise some of the things he has done to the family and certainly to my mum.
I've always had a chip on my shoulder. It kind of drives me. It's something that allows me to train harder, train longer, work better.
My family always helped me. I had people around me who always pushed me to be the best: my dad, my mum. My dad used to play and coach as well. But I wasn't born with shiny things.
My dad had even hired an accompanist to play for me on a piano. But he had never pushed me to music because I don't think he wanted me to be hurt as much as he was if it didn't work.
I'm a singer today because of my dad. He was the one who pushed me to my full potential.
There was a time in my life I wanted that Olympic medal, and all I did was train, train, train and work harder than ever.
If I didn't have quads and hamstrings, soccer would be a lot different for me than it is now. I would be pushed all over the field. My lower body is something that has made me the player I am today, and it makes me feel strong.
I know everyone thinks Dad is a little bit crazy with his training, because we train a lot harder and do more kilometres and stuff than most pentathletes. Training is full-on. It's seven or eight hours a day.
I had a lot of respect for what my dad did and the success that he had. I wanted to give it a try. He never forced me in any way to go this route. It was my decision. He would push me to work harder at it but only because it was my decision to race. If there was ever a day when I didn't want to do it any more, he would be fine.
My dad never pushed me but the big thing is that he helped me by going out in the backyard and playing with me.
I do find violence entertaining, but that doesn't make me a bad person. I grew up watching all these action films when I was a kid. My dad would bring back 'Rambo' and whatever, and we'd watch it together. It's not affected me in any way other than I just appreciate the entertainment value of violence on film.
I have a discipline that has served me very well in my career and in my personal life... and that's gotten stronger as I've gotten older. I've always felt if I don't just have a natural knack for it, I will just out-discipline the competition if I have to -- work harder than anybody else.