#008 - The GOAT (Greatest of all Time), two-time Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion in the triple jump and five-time World Athletics Diamond League Champion. What else is there you can say about Christian Taylor?
Quite a lot, as it happens. The 10-time NCAA All American recently founded and became President of his own progressive athlete union, the Athletics Association aimed at giving athletes a greater say over the future of track and field athletics. Set-up in response to World Athletics’ decision to cut Taylor’s trademark event, the triple jump, from the Diamond League Finals, Taylor’s new athletes rights movement boasts Adam Gemili, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Shelly-Ann Fraser Price and Emma Coburn amongst its ranks.
Born to Barbadian parents in Georgia, USA, Taylor is a true internationalist, and relishes the opportunity he has had to travel and live all over the world - the education of life - which led to him meeting his fiancée, the Austrian athlete, Beate Schrott.
As someone that wants to give the next generation better opportunities than he had, Taylor is mindful of the issues that today’s instant gratification culture poses on the younger generations, not least the dangers presented by social media and the impact new technologies have on getting young people to play sport.
Christian Taylor is an athlete going places in life after sport, but he’s not done yet. With the postponed Tokyo 2020 (or is Tokyo 2021) around the corner, he has one more Olympic Gold Medal in his sights.
If you'd like to get the links and show notes for this episode, head to:
http://bennichols.co.uk/the-education-of-life-with-christian-taylor