---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am an athlete first and foremost, and…"
description: "\"I am an athlete first and foremost, and it is vital for my competitiveness, my well being, and for my preparations for events during the European summe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/caster-semenya-10835_competitiveness_i-am-an-athlete-first-and-foremost-and-i_3104950.jpg"
---

#  I am an athlete first and foremost, and it is vital for my…

![“I am an athlete first and foremost, and it is vital for my competitiveness, my well being, and for my preparations for events during the European summer that I measure my performance against other athletes.” quote by Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/caster-semenya-10835_competitiveness_i-am-an-athlete-first-and-foremost-and-i_3104950.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/caster-semenya-10835_competitiveness_i-am-an-athlete-first-and-foremost-and-i_3104950.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/caster-semenya-10835_competitiveness_i-am-an-athlete-first-and-foremost-and-i_3104950.jpg)

> “I am an athlete first and foremost, and it is vital for my competitiveness, my well being, and for my preparations for events during the European summer that I measure my performance against other athletes.”

[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Athletic identity is grounded in competition; measuring performance against peers is essential for growth, health, and preparation.

**In simple terms:** She defines herself first as an athlete.

Key Takeaway

Measure yourself against peers to improve.

Themes

competition self‑identity health

Mood

determined focused

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- sports training
- season preparation
- mental health
- team dynamics

Key Concepts

performance metrics peer comparison training cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal goals with external benchmarks?
- What role does mental health play in elite sport?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on comparison can harm self‑esteem.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Athlete Foremost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete-foremost-5397740/) [Competitiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitiveness/) [Competitiveness Preparations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitiveness-preparations-5397742/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Measure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measure/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Performance Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance-athletes-4804713/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Vital Competitiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vital-competitiveness-5397741/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/)

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[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [Today's competitiveness, so much imposed from without, is exhausting, not exhilarating; is unending-a part of one's social life, one's solitude, one's sleep, one's sleeplessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/today-s-competitiveness-so-much-imposed-from-without-is-exhausting/)

[Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/)

> [You don't want to put competitiveness and emotion away, so you learn to play with it. You learn to use it for your team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/you-don-t-want-to-put-competitiveness-and-emotion-away-so-you-learn/)

[Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/)

> [It is absolutely critical for competitiveness in the United States for us to really raise the bar in education, especially in math, in science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/safra-a-catz/it-is-absolutely-critical-for-competitiveness-in-the-united-states/)

[Safra A. Catz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/safra-a-catz/)

> [A state-based regulatory system is quite burdensome. It allows price controls to create market distortions. It can hinder development of national products and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/a-state-based-regulatory-system-is-quite-burdensome-it-allows-price/)

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> [I think competitiveness is taken in a different way by different people. I'm not a yeller and a screamer, a jumper and a pusher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-duncan/i-think-competitiveness-is-taken-in-a-different-way-by-different/)

[Tim Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-duncan/)

> [If you put on your business hat, you can't maintain competitiveness by staying at a competitive disadvantage. I mean, you just can't. The odds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bresch/if-you-put-on-your-business-hat-you-can-t-maintain-competitiveness-by/)

[Heather Bresch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bresch/)

> [There are many examples of companies and countries that have improved their competitiveness and efficiency by adopting open source strategies. The creation of skills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shuttleworth/there-are-many-examples-of-companies-and-countries-that-have-improved/)

[Mark Shuttleworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shuttleworth/)

## More by Caster Semenya

> [When I am in that lane, and I hear, 'Caster Semenya from South Africa,' I always know I am doing it for my people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/when-i-am-in-that-lane-and-i-hear-caster-semenya-from-south-africa-i/)

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[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

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[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

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[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

> [If I'm at my best, I feel I must win gold all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/if-i-m-at-my-best-i-feel-i-must-win-gold-all-the-time/)

[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

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> [I am an athlete, and I focus more on the issues that concern me: training, perform, eat, sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/i-am-an-athlete-and-i-focus-more-on-the-issues-that-concern-me/)

[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

> [I don't drink gases, like Coke - just juice and water, and I don't drink alcohol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/i-don-t-drink-gases-like-coke-just-juice-and-water-and-i-don-t-drink/)

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> [Times don't matter but medals matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/times-don-t-matter-but-medals-matter/)

[Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

> [The way you were born is the way you were born. Nothing can change it. I've got a deep voice. I know. I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/the-way-you-were-born-is-the-way-you-were-born-nothing-can-change-it/)

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[Explore all 63 Caster Semenya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/)

## More Competitiveness quotes

> [There are many examples of companies and countries that have improved their competitiveness and efficiency by adopting open source strategies. The creation of skills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shuttleworth/there-are-many-examples-of-companies-and-countries-that-have-improved/)

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[Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/)

> [Today's competitiveness, so much imposed from without, is exhausting, not exhilarating; is unending-a part of one's social life, one's solitude, one's sleep, one's sleeplessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/today-s-competitiveness-so-much-imposed-from-without-is-exhausting/)

[Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/)

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[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [the crucial disadvantage of aggression, competitiveness and skepticism as national characteristics is that these qualities cannot be turned off at five o'clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/the-crucial-disadvantage-of-aggression-competitiveness-and-skepticism/)

[Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/)

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[James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/)

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> [So Europe needs to be competitive and we also need to be competitive if we wish to remain an interesting economic partner for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/so-europe-needs-to-be-competitive-and-we-also-need-to-be-competitive/)

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