Spikes30 Sep 2015


Words of Wisdom – Mohammed Aman

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Mohammed Aman

Ethiopia's Mohammed Aman is one of the finest 800m runners on the planet. The three-time world champion shares his words of wisdom.

1. Back yourself

“If you go into a race lacking confidence in your training and believing the other athletes are stronger than you, then you are beaten before the race starts.

“Good training breeds confidence and I go into every single race believing I can win. To me, if I train well the competition is nothing, so why can’t I win? I train every morning and afternoon, so to run two laps is easy. It is important to believe.”

Mohammed Aman

The highlight of Aman's 2015 season came at the Rome Diamond League, where he won in 1:43.56 – ranking him as the sixth fastest athlete this year

2. Stay disciplined

“Discipline is the key to becoming a champion. It is important to have discipline in every area of your life, not just the training.

“It is also important to have the right amount of rest and general medical treatment. If you don’t have discipline or you don’t trust your coach then you are setting yourself up to fail.

“I have always been disciplined – it is something passed on to me from my father and my family. I have respect for my family, my coach and my neighbours. I take adequate rest, treatment and I train twice a day – once in the morning and once in the afternoon.”

Mohammed Aman

His win at the 2014 Sopot World Indoor Championships made Aman the reigning world champion both indoor and out at the age of just 20

3. Keep pushing

“I never give up in training. I push myself until I feel I am dying, and if you do this, you can become a hero. I like to train hard – whether it is hill training, fartleks or speed work – until it feels like I have lost my mind.

“I like the challenge of training hard and look forward to each workout because I know it will allow me to run well. If you don’t feel the pain, there is no gain.

“I am lucky in that I have two training partners who shout encouraging advice during training sessions.”

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