1984 Olympics: Daley Thompson

The unthinkable was about to happen. Britain's golden boy walked to the concrete discus circle knowing that he was throwing for his life, his reputation, his dreams. It was not just the Los Angeles smog that was suffocating the athletes in the Memorial Coliseum. Daley Thompson was a man under pressure.

It all seemed like business as usual after six events in the 1984 Olympic Decathlon. Thompson had managed to build a lead over his great rival Jurgen Hingsen, stamping his authority on the competition from the start. The West German may have arrived in Los Angeles as the world record holder, but when it came to competition, there was no one like Daley.

1988 Olympics: Daley Thompson

One of the problems with getting old is that there comes a point in your life when you realise that your time has gone. Whereas once you were young, fit and vibrant, you are now middle-aged, tired and aching. Hangovers that used to subside after a couple of hours now stretch into the following evening, and you start to feel wrong about being attracted to Pixie Lott (age 21), and begin to feel more comfortable setting your sights on Kate Humble (age 43).

The worst thing about this state of affairs is that there seems to be no warning about this transformation, which is as scary as it sounds. For a sportsman, once invincible in his arena, this realisation must be the most startling of wake-up calls, a reminder that time waits for no man. Even when that man was one Francis Morgan Ayodélé Thompson.