After 15 months of lockdown the coming months feel like a summer of sport is about to take over the hearts and minds of us all – whether that's the Euros 2021 or the delayed Tokyo Games. With that in mind, it was an absolute privilege to speak to Britain's greatest athlete Sir Mo Farah about his decision to defend his Olympic long distance title.
Speaking to Sir Mo as part of his partnership with Swiss-British watch brand Arnold & Son, we also got to see a very stylish side of the athlete, before exploring the up-and-coming young stars making their Team GB debut.
To read more, my full editor's letter is below:
"When it comes to leadership advice, you can’t really beat words of wisdom from a gold medal-winning athlete. An Olympian’s success is there for us all to see, though we mere mortals can only guess at the level of planning, training and discipline that goes on behind the scenes in the years between victories.
But the tried and true concept of ‘no pain, no gain’ is not always the mantra we want to hear when it comes to reaching our own goals. How refreshing it was, then, to speak to the inimitable Sir Mo Farah for the opening of our Olympics special feature.
A humble titan of British sport, Sir Mo’s level of success is almost mindboggling, but his passion for his craft – as well as the joy he finds in his new partnership with British-Swiss watch brand Arnold & Son – shines through in our interview with the sporting star on page 34.
While he tells us about his hopes to defend his Olympic title in Tokyo, it is his calm attitude and cool composure that I found most inspiring.
“My approach is to keep things simple,” he tells us. “Every race, I just go out there to do my best and nothing more than that.”
At last, a winning mindset that we can apply to almost any part of our lives, from getting that bit further on our morning jog to reaching even our wildest aspirations. It will certainly inspire the young British sporting stars hoping to make their Olympic debut at this year’s rescheduled Tokyo Games; we introduce you to some of the most exciting new faces in Team GB on page 42.
Elsewhere in the issue, we dive into the new world of virtual reality with the help of “phygital” art concept The ARX (28) and a look at how designer fashion is jumping on the digital bandwagon (30) – for those not yet au fait with the exciting world of NFT investments and blockchain “skins”, these fascinating features will likely leave us all feeling like we’re one step closer to living in The Matrix.
Our artistic focus continues with a celebration of the Sarabande Foundation’s latest exciting designers (64), an exclusive interview with Michelin-star chef Andrew Wong (80), and our exploration into the fine art of automotive coachbuilding (22).
As we head into summer and celebrate this period of renewal after a tumultuous 15 months, we look forward to setting new challenges and goals that will take us to the next level of our own successes – all just one race at a time."