I love to race the best people in the world and the fastest people in the world.

I always have on my headphones to block out all of the other distractions and I'm just focused on doing the best that I can.... There a few of them ... DMX Party Up ... Mack 10 BC and Ice Cube Connected for Life. I also listen to the Eminem CD ...whichever song really gets me going that night

I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.

I try to separate my personal life from swimming.

I'm pretty lazy. My wife always says, "you're the laziest, most successful Olympian I've ever seen." How does that make sense? Honestly, if I have downtime, I'm really, really good at not doing anything.

Being able to do something that's never been done before, that's what I've always wanted to do. . . . There was nothing that was going to stand in my way of being the first.

I've always been fortunate in that I've been able to put myself in my own zone and relax. It comes naturally. I'm lucky to be that way