I sold over 70million records as a member of One Direction and performed at London 2012 but my first dream was to be an Olympic runner
Former One Direction member Liam Payne has been part of an Olympics before - but not in the way he dreamt of as a child.
Payne performed alongside bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik at the London 2012 closing ceremony.
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He stood on a moving stage and sang hit song ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, with fans all around the world tuning in.
However, the now 30-year-old would have stepped into the Olympic Stadium 12 years ago thinking about what could have been.
Before becoming a singer and part of a boy band that sold over 70 million records, there could have been a completely different story of Payne’s life.
When he was younger, he dreamt of becoming an Olympian.
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In a tweet from 12 years ago, while the London Games were ongoing, Payne revealed that he would have been aiming to be a runner if he hadn’t become a singer.
The post read: “If I wasn't in 1D, running in the Olympics would of been my dream.”
And he had actually already spoken about his previous experience running while making his breakthrough on X-Factor in 2010.
Payne : "I was a member of the Wolverhampton and Bilston Athletics Club.
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“I used to get up and run five miles before school and another few miles when I came home.
"At that time it was always a choice between running or singing but I just missed out on a place in the England team.
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"I didn't enjoy the running as much as my singing and that really made my mind up for me."
So the decision to leave his running behind led to his success elsewhere, but he may be sitting watching the Games now thinking whether his career could have gone down a different path.
He’s still not unfamiliar with the sporting world though, as he took part in Soccer Aid last year.
His impressive running ability would have helped him as he played for England against the Rest of the World at Old Trafford.
Payne even did his best Jack Grealish impression when talking to talkSPORT in preparation for the game.
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But it would have been Mo Farah and other medal-winning runners before him that he was trying to be before becoming famous.
He’ll be watching on as Team GB look to win medals in the athletics over the next week in Paris.
Josh Kerr captains the squad aiming for glory and Payne will be watching on hoping those who achieved his dream can make ‘a whole lot of history’.
talkSPORT brings you live coverage of the Paris Olympics this summer, with Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes among our legendary line-up of pundits. Listen to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, via the app, or through your smart speaker. And follow our live blog for all the latest news.
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