Olympics legend Daley Thompson reveals he downed fizzy drinks during his career

Olympics legend Daley Thompson reveals he downed fizzy drinks during his career… and often scoffs chips instead of vegetables

  • Thompson, 62, won gold in the decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics  
  • He said that as an athlete he avoided drinking water and eating vegetables  
  • Thompson added that he had eaten chips ‘three or four’ times in the past week 

One of Britain’s greatest ever Olympic heroes Daley Thompson has revealed the diet that fuelled his success – fizzy drinks and chips.

Thompson, 62, won gold in the decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and broke the world record for the event four times.

He told Colin Murray’s Midnight Meets podcast that as an athlete he avoided drinking water and eating vegetables.

He said: ‘I always figured that if I was going to have anything to drink it should be something that I enjoyed the taste of.

Pictured: Daley Thompson

Thompson, 62, won gold in the decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and broke the world record for the event four times

‘Mostly it was Sprite, Coca-Cola and Gatorade.’ When asked about what he eats, Thompson said he refused to eat vegetables – and had eaten chips ‘three or four times’ in the past week.  

He said: ‘I don’t know about awful, but it’s not your regular diet. In my defence I did eat vegetables, but only in the presence of my children when they were young.’ 

When asked about his heroes, Bruce chose Caitlyn Jenner and poured on praise for the sports star.

He said: ‘It must be the most difficult thing in the world for the first 16 years of your life to pretend to be someone you’re not.

He said: 'I don't know about awful, but it's not your regular diet. In my defence I did eat vegetables, but only in the presence of my children when they were young'

He said: ‘I don’t know about awful, but it’s not your regular diet. In my defence I did eat vegetables, but only in the presence of my children when they were young’

‘How brave then to take a stand and become the person maybe you always should have been.

‘It must have been such a complicated life and so depressing most of the time.

‘He was always me hero, and she went up in my estimation.’