Eugene Amo-Dadzie has been fast his whole life. He knew it. His teachers knew it. His parents knew it.

He just never actually tried.

From the age of nine, Eugene was the fastest kid in the school. He grew up watching Usain Bolt and dreamed of the track. But running was always just a hobby — something to enjoy, never something to pursue. His parents pushed academics. His culture valued qualifications. And somewhere along the way, Eugene made a quiet peace with never finding out how good he actually was.

For years he was the guy who said: if I had tried, I could have done it.

Then, at 26, standing beside an athletics track in Woodford, his best friend turned to him and said: think you could put a pair of spikes on and beat these guys?

In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Eugene tells the story of what happened when he finally said yes. A debut season that ended with a torn hamstring. A British Championship silver medal. A sub-10-second 100 metres. And a semi-final at the World Athletics Championships — where he lined up against the Olympic champion, the World champion, and the Commonwealth champion in the same race.

All of it starting at 26. All of it built around a full-time accounting career, a wife, a daughter, and a job he loves.

Key Takeaways

- Why Eugene spent years believing in his talent without ever testing it — and what finally changed

- What the Parable of the Talents taught him about buried potential

- How to handle a setback that arrives before you have even properly started

- What it takes to balance elite sport with a full-time career, a family, and faith

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I Sat On My Talent For Years… Then This Happened

Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall