Having just finished Jonny Wilkinson's autobiography (Jonny: My Autobiography) I now know that his endless hours on the training field, going as far back as pre-school sessions when he cycled to Farnham RFC with a snack and a rucksack of rugby balls, stem from an obsessive quest for perfection. A quest for perfection so consuming that it borders on illness.
His childhood memories tell a story: harmless errors, from misspelling 'gauge' to forgetting to mention his father in a radio interview would evoke stress, tears and panic. Even up to weeks afterwards.
Throughout his career his pursuit of excellence went to extraordinary extremes. Yet paradoxically, the more he strove to be the world's greatest player the more unhappy he became. Because the greater public and media attention made him shrink from everyday life. Ultimately, his obsessive streak threatened not only his career - playing through knocks leading to later and more serious injuries - but even his own sanity.
It is a remarkable book and a startling insight into the mindset that developed in his quest for perfection.
No comments:
Post a Comment