Olympic Legend Willie Banks’ Advice to Young Athletes (VIDEO)
As a member of the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams, triple jumper Willie Banks knows what it takes to succeed. Watch below as he shares his advice for Olympic hopefuls:
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Even though Banks still competes in Master Athletics, he devotes a majority of his time to mentoring young middle school and high school athletes to prepare the next generation of Olympic hopefuls. He has 3 pieces of advice for athletes looking to achieve their best:
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1. Goals: “You have to want something,” he said. “If you really want something bad enough, you can do it.
2. Determination: As an athlete with a nearly 40-year career, Banks says that “you have to develop a plan and stick to it.”
3. Perseverance: “There are going to be times when you run into a hurdle or fail to meet the goal that you set,” Banks told genConnect. “You have to get right back into and continue on.”
He continued: “Those three things are very important to any athlete who wants to be a success.”
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Click here for more of genConnect’s coverage of the 2012 Road to the Olympics
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