Guy Dresser | Royal Canoe Club - What does it take to become Olympic champion? According to Italy’s Daniele Molmenti, who won the slalom K1 gold medal in London this year, it’s not just about deciding what to do – but why.

Interviewed recently by schoolchildren and young athletes in his home country, Molmenti said getting to the top requires effort and hard work – but also some good fortune (you can see a detailed article on the ICF website):

Sport involves sacrifices, but everyone makes their own choices in life and decides which goals to pursue. The important thing is to know what you are doing and why. The results can be achieved with perseverance, commitment, and even a bit of luck.

Molmenti’s win in London cements his reputation as one of the all-time greats in slalom, capping a run of great results over several years. The charismatic Italian, who was 10th in the slalom K1 in Beijing, has five world championship medals including individual gold in 2010, two silvers in the K1 team from 2005 and 2006 plus two bronzes, also in the team events.

Asked what advice he had for youngsters getting going in the sport, he said you had to “get going”, not sit back and let life flow, but to apply the philosophy of sport in everyday life, build on their experiences and use sport an element of training and a vehicle capable of enhancing the richness and the diversity of life.

“I went climbing with people who are blind, I went in a canoe with people with physical disabilities and in the end I concluded that the so-called disabled have much to teach us,” he added.