Gymnastics does take great focus and concentration. What I do is look to my coach. He keeps me focused. And I meditate to get myself confident before the competition floor. That helps keep me focused, too.

The most important thing is to believe in yourself and know that you can do it.

I blast "Northern Sky," by the Capital Kings, on the way there, but at the gym, I totally zone out.

I wake up at about 9 a.m., and have a few hours of school or time to relax. Then, I have practice at 2:30 p.m. with my team.

I was just, you know, kind of getting racist jokes, kind of being isolated from the group. So it was definitely hard. I would come home at night and just cry my eyes out.

Words can't even describe how much Olympic medals means to me, because of all the hard work, sacrifice and effort I put in at the gym, and also because of how much my family supported me and sacrificed their dreams for mine. It also means a lot to me, knowing that I became the first African American to win the individual all-around gold medal.

My mom used to tell me when I was little, 'When it rains, it's God's manifestation - a big day's waiting to happen.'