I've learned that winning isn't everything, and it's more about the journey. But at the end of the day, I just want to stand on the podium with the gold medal.

All my life, since the time I was little, has been a long distraction. At least that is the way some people want to perceive it, but for me, it's given me a lot of strength.

London 2012 is all about winning a medal. Not just any medal, the gold medal.

I travel a lot and rarely make it home to Seattle.

I don't need a captain's band to lead a team to victory.

My entire purpose is trying to be the best in the game, and if that exudes beauty too, that's pretty powerful.

Everybody should be affected by their own realities in their own lives, their own struggles in their own lives. It makes us who we are, and we all know that.