Since taking up athletics I have met several different people, not only locally but also internationally. I have met people from different ethnic, cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. What is amazing about sport is that it brings everyone together, irrelevant of such differences. No matter where you are or if you are alone or not, be assured that through sport you are never alone.

Many people think that practising an individual sport means that everything connected to the sport is carried out on an individual basis.

However, this is not necessarily so. Although there are several advantages of practising an individual sport, one major disadvantage I find is the fact that there are no “team mates”, except for when it comes to the relays.

Throughout the years I have realised that in individual sports it is also important to create a team environment. I find it important to encourage everyone and anyone, whatever the discipline, even if that means encouraging my rival. In fact, one of my closest friends on the track is an athlete who competes in the same distance as I do.

I have come to realise that friendship is very important at all levels of sport, whether we are competing at home, or away. True friends stick together and respect each other at all times and in all situations. My success in athletics does not only depend on hard training, an understanding coach, and personal traits, but it also depends on the people around me, especially my friends from sport.

In an individual sport like athletics, it is essential that athletes stick together in order to be successful individually and as a whole.

Friendship is made up of qualities such as honesty, respect, and responsibility, and it is these qualities which then give the competitive edge to individual athletes.