I believe my father has and always will be the strongest influence in my life, as he has guided me on many paths.

Japan, not only a mega-busy city that thrives on electronics and efficiency, actually has an almost sacred appreciation of nature. One must travel outside of Tokyo to truly experience the 'old Japan' and more importantly feel these aspects of Japanese culture.

Michael Phelps is a good friend of mine, so I'm very supportive of him.

You can't dwell on what happened. You can't live even a moment stewing in bitterness.

When I'm done skating, I guarantee you that I will not look back and remember standing on the podium. I'm going to remember these days - being with the team. Training alone, in my basement. Training when everybody else is sleeping. Doing things that nobody else is doing. Digging down. Seeing what kind of character I truly have. I love that stuff.

I know exactly what I'm doing on the ice, and I'm in my element.

One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.