Everyone was telling me you have this great potential and you can be on top. I didn't believe that, but everyone was just telling me to believe in myself. I did and I'm kind of up on top and it's amazing.

To win Olympic gold it takes a lot of HARDWORK, a lot of PASSION, a lot of SACRIFICES.

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.

My mom says I'm a fighter, a fierce competitor, and I think I am, too.

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.

The hard work definitely paid off and hard work always does.