After quitting gymnastics in 2000, I was looking for that next thing where I could defy gravity. I was looking for something that had the flipping and the twisting and allowed me to be acrobatic.

The Olympics is about bringing the world together and learning how to go through struggles. That's what inspired me before my career and that's been my inspiration ever since I was striving towards the 2008 Games.

Are the odds you face (in life) defeating or motivating you?

After quitting gymnastics in 2000, I was looking for that next thing where I could defy gravity. I was looking for something that had the flipping and the twisting and allowed me to be acrobatic.

You start to worry about what happens if you don't win. You start to fear man because you want praise from man. You start thinking about how winning will lead to more money. There are a lot of sin issues inside of that. So now when I go into competition, I have to take my thoughts captive and use God's Word to fight that battle.

Ultimately when you have the perspective of why you're competing and what you're trying to pursue, the rest just falls into place.

Competition is all about you. It's about feeding your selfish needs. It feeds the depravity of your heart.