Duff Gibson won the Olympic gold medal in bob skeleton at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. He did so at the age of 39. Duff has an incredible story to tell about trying and trying again, testing himself in several different sports, in the pursuit of finding the one that would suit him and allow him to take a shot at being an olympian.

Duff shares that exploration and with it the clear analysis of why he wasn’t suited to certain sports, ranging from physiology to politics. But this isn’t a tale of a plucky loser, picking himself up from each knock back, failure or disappointment. This is a lesson in valuing the experience along the way, experience above detail, journey above destination.

Duff has such clarity on this philosophy that he has written a book called the Tao of Sport in which he lays his experiences bare and creates a campaign for us to be more cognisant and skilful in how we create the journey for young athletes in the future. Talking to Duff reminded me of the quote from Confucius We all lead two lives, the second one begins when you realise you only have one.

Notes

Early athletic career

Mental strategies - what if I wasn’t able to compete?

The Turin Olympic gold

Intimidation versus competitor support

Creating an environment which support great performance not just winning

It’s about execution - what makes a difference

Links

https://twitter.com/duffgibson

For details of Duff's upcoming book

https://www.darkhorseathletic.ca/

https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-tao-of-sport?fbclid=IwAR2wQaSfF-cO4qEeQz6EPAidMW3G_kYaCqesu4sa6mgyJZuyTRhe7jkqKJI

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

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You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A