Team GB Olympic playlists: Chris Tomlinson, long jumper

A lot of athletes listen to music just before they compete. I used to do that but I don't anymore. I felt I would get very pumped up and then you turn the music off and your adrenalin levels could go down – it would almost make me lose focus. What I use music for is training: as an athlete, you do a lot of rehab work which is literally a case of stretching for half an hour or walking over hurdles and that can get quite monotonous. I listen to music to allow the time to pass more quickly. At the moment, I've got the Disco 2000 compilation album on my iPod. I also like Kings of Leon and Oasis.There's even some Andrea Bocelli on there; my music taste varies massively. I've spent a great deal of time in the car over the last few years, driving to competitions and training sessions, so I've been listening to commercial radio quite a bit. I'm quite against chart music. I can't stand all that Lady Gaga or Rihanna stuff. It's mass produced; they're more like puppets than artists. I'm not really into that. I'd rather listen to someone who can really sing, like Beyoncé. I started competing at the age of 10. Back then, my sister was quite a fan of Michael Jackson and I think the first ever tape I bought was Bad . I grew up with him and he's one of my all-time favourite musicians. I was one of those people who got to buy tickets to his O2 tour but unfortunately, he died before I was able to watch him. One song that always brings back good memories when I hear it is Spiller's Groovejet . It means a lot to me and my wife Lucia. It was playing a lot when we were first going out. I do know a fair few words of the national anthem but, no, I don't listen to it while I'm training. Obviously I'm a pretty patriotic northern bloke and I always stand up when I hear it and make sure no one's talking around me. CHRIS'S PLAYLIST ■ Spiller Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) ■ Michael Jackson Dirty Diana ■ Kings of Leon Sex on Fire ■ Oasis Roll With It ■ Gipsy Kings Djobi, Djoba ■ Nat King Cole If I Give My Heart to You