'I just made the most of whatever I had,' says Olympic bronze medallist Akeem Haynes
Track star says soccer was the sports focus of his childhood in Yellowknife
A former Yellowknifer and Olympic medallist describes himself as "kind of stubborn" when it comes to his outlook on life.
"I never put limits on anything that I can do, because I believe I can do anything," says Akeem Haynes.
"I consider myself a fighter. I may not be the most talented person or the smartest person, but at the same time I fight for the things that I want. I may be 5-6", 5-7", but my heart is seven feet tall."
Haynes, 24, led off Canada's 4x100 m men's relay team in the finals in Rio. They won bronze medals after the United States team was disqualified, and set a Canadian record.
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But he says track was not his focus when he was a child living in Yellowknife between 1998 and 2004.
"I was mainly just playing soccer," he told Trailbreaker host Loren McGinnis Tuesday morning.
He played a lot with his cousin, who was two or three years older than him, and friends.
"My cousin was always just destroying me in races. I could never beat that guy."
Haynes currently lives in Calgary, where he attended high school and began his track career.
He says he was ready to deal with running on the sports world's biggest stage.
"The main thing you have to do is you have to stay focused," he says.
"You can't really worry about your surroundings, because if you play into that trap, you'll get distracted from why you're there and what you're supposed to do.
"For me, as soon as I walk out, I take a look at the crowd. You've got to take everything in. I mean, you're going to hear the crowd regardless. And then you just go, 'OK, it's time to work.'"
Haynes is also a motivational speaker. He says young athletes shouldn't let their circumstances limit them.
"Even though I didn't have much in Yellowknife, I still worked hard in soccer to create more possibilities," he says.
"I just made the most of whatever I had. I really believe it doesn't matter where you come from; you can do anything as long as you believe that it's possible."
He says he's looking forward to some home-cooked meals when he visits his mother in Yellowknife next month.
with files from Loren McGinnis