Black, White and Gold
Kelly Holmes
With
Having read it
★★★★★
This book is a really good insight to one amazing person and athlete.
Kelly Holmes has achieved a lot but like she says it has not been an easy journey; it has had plenty of ups and downs but her attitude to life and athletics has paid dividends for her – many times over.
A good passage
Winning that race was a huge thing for me. I learned then that in athletics you are the only person who can let yourself down. Your coach can put in all the work to prepare you but once you’re on the track, that’s it. There’s no one else you can blame if you lose, so you must put in the work beforehand and believe in yourself. Experiencing that first hand is how I learned to be a championship runner. Being rewarded with a gold medal in the English Schools Championship made everything worthwhile.
A second good passage
I was brought back down to earth with a bump. Within forty-eight hours I was walking into a rounders tournament in Aldershot. I sat down to watch unable to get my head round the idea of having won two medals and now being bounced back to where I belonged. There was only one thing I could do. I joined in the game. As I’ve always said, succeeding at something and satisfying my own sense of personal achievement doesn’t make me a better person than anyone else. When the racing is over, I just carry on as me.
A third good passage
In the middle of 2006, I didn’t have a clue who I was or what to strive for. Have you ever felt lost, without an identity, because your life is suddenly completely different from the one you have always known? Well, that was me back then. Two years later and I’m no longer worrying about chasing a single dream, which feels strange but less pressured. Instead, lots of doors have opened onto different projects and initiatives. I’ve begun to make the transition from being an athlete to being someone in my own right, but using my experience as an athlete and a soldier as a platform to help other people.