Winning is great, but being able to finish my last Olympic Games on American soil was very important. Even though I was injured, I didn't let my psyche get the best of me and cause me to doubt myself, so I was willing to pull every muscle in my body in '96 in order to get the job done and I came away with the bronze medal.

I maintained my edge by always being a student; you will always have something new to learn.

I set my sights on making an Olympic team, not realizing how tough it was going to be.

The greatest finish line for me was finishing college - it was a pact I made with my mother, during a time when she fell ill. That happened during my Freshman year, and unfortunately she never saw me compete in the Olympics. But she really wanted me to finish college, because she never finished Junior High.

"Competing in both track and field and basketball for the Bruins I have a lot of great memories to choose from. But my all-time favorite moment in collegiate sports has to be in 1982 when we won UCLA's first NCAA title in track."

I love track and field, but I also know the day will come when I will have to do something else.

The 2012 London Olympic Games fostered a generation of hope. I witnessed women participating for the very first time, representing every nation.