Legendary British sprinter Linford Christie tells Mobile ESPN's Rajarshi Chatterjee what it takes to be a champion.

RC: You have had your share of controversies starting from performance enhancing drugs to your outfit. What do you think of them now, looking back?

LC: Well, what can I do! Sometimes you just have to live through all of this. To my mind, as long as I am happy, my conscience is clear, I don't care about what people say.

At the end of the day, people talk about you for a few reasons, because you are better than them, because they want to be where you are and because they are jealous of you.

RC: You are the only 100m World Champion England ever produced. Did you get your due?

LC: I was of course was given my due when I won the Olympic Gold in 1992 but now some people treated me differently. People who are close to you start taking you for granted and that feels bad. I was treated differently when I won the Olympic Gold. But I guess that's how it is. Nothing could be done about it. I have to get on with it and enjoy life.

RC: You were 32 (the oldest 100m Olympic gold winner) when you won the 100m gold in Barcelona. Four years back, you had finished third and eventually won the Silver. Did you expect a medal in 1992?

LC: In 1988, I was in great shape but I wasn't mentally ready for an Olympic medal. In 1992, I knew that I would win a medal. You don't have to be the fastest to win the Gold medal you know, you just have to make others believe that you are the fastest.

RC: How did you do that?

LC: I used to get into their minds. I used to stay in good shape physically and then if I did well in the qualifications, I used to say that even though I won, I wasn't ready. Then on the day of the championship, I used to say I was ready. There are these psychological games played. All the athletes have equal amount of talent, all of us train the same, eat the same food and stay in good shape. So, you got to find that little bit extra that would make you the champion.

RC: There's something about that famous 1988 Seoul 100m dash. That was the only race where we saw the first finisher (Ben Johnson) turn back to see how far his fellow competitors were. You finished third. How frustrating was it?

LC: I was a newcomer, so it wasn't very frustrating for me. I was still learning the tricks. We all knew that Ben Johnson was the fastest for the first 60 meters. After 60 meters he would slow down. So, everyone was training for the last 40 meters. It didn't work! He got to the 60 meter mark before anyone else, then he won the race. If you see the footage, notice Carl Lewis' expressions. That told the story.

(Carl Lewis was eventually declared the Gold medal winner and Christie silver after Johnson was stripped of his gold medal for testing positive for a banned substance).

RC: Athletes like Frankie Fredericks come from poor countries like Namibia and still do consistently well at the highest level. In comparison, a country like India which is better off, has failed to produce quality athletes. What is the reason?

LC: I think sometimes you got to go through something to be something. India has got the formula to be great. If you are rich, it's very difficult to do well in the track and field events. But if you are poor, you know how to fight. I was born in Jamaica, so I know what it is like. I did not always have food on the table, there were holes in my shoes and all these things make you better. If you look at America, some of the black people there live in the ghetto. And when you get out of the ghetto, you have to excel! You have to excel so much! You have 14 or 15 brothers and sisters and you have to take them with you. That's where the fight comes from. So I would say it's easier for those who know what a fight is.

RC: Is that the reason why England are not doing well in sports these days? The football team even failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.

LC: I can't say the reason for not qualifying in football you see.

RC: England don't produce track and field champions either.

LC: Well it's unfortunate at times. I come from an era where Allan Wells was my predecessor. Wells had won the Olympic Gold, so I wanted to repeat the feat. Then when I won the Olympic Gold I inspired a lot of people. It's just that the kids these days are less interested in sports than what we used to be. There is so much stress these days! You have the computer. Athletes who have the talent in the track and field events go home after training and play on their computers! We didn't have time for that. We used to train, go home and play other sports. We were on the streets all the time and we even played cricket. I think that's the problem with today's kids. They are stressed and then they have the TV and the computer. Being a sportsman is not easy. You have to train yourself really hard. Everyone seems to be looking for the easier way-outs these days.

RC: Would you have preferred a more meaningful role for yourself in the organisation of the 2012 London Olympics?

LC: Not really. For me, sometimes it's not the people on the screen but the people behind it who make an event successful. My coach Ron Roddan was a quiet man who always preferred to stay behind the screen and sometimes that's the best way to go about it. It's not always the people who shout and pray who go to heaven but people who are humble and quiet. I just prefer to be one of them.

RC: Your personal best was in the World Championship a year after the Olympic Gold. Which race would you give more importance?

LC: Definitely the world championship.