Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things: What Do the Lives of Olympians Tell Us About the Champion in Us All?

Peter Keen, Director of Sport at Loughborough University, gives a talk for the 2014 Green Templeton College lecture series The traditional narrative of Olympic success emphasises hard work, discipline and sacrifice but above all the unique talents of medal winners. Does this stand up to scrutiny? Peter Keen provides an insider's synopsis of the life journeys of successful athletes, from which a number of generalisations will be explored concerning the nature of human performance and the apparent need for mastery and autonomy for humans to feel fulfilled.