It's a level of strength and character that few of us can imagine; a grace under pressure that few of us will ever attain. It's why an Olympic gold medal would not have made us love or admire her more.

As a young child, I played the violin. I think that that started the spark

When I was on the ice, in the lights, with the music and the motion, there was a certain kind of flirtation that gave great energy and expressiveness to my performance.

This is another kind of competition, but I'm being coached by an excellent team, and I've got a real strong competitive spirit.

When the going got tough, I really had to draw on many of the same competitive instincts I did when I was skating. I really had to put my head down and stay positive. I had to fight.

The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.

My sport taught me what I could do with my talents, whether in the rink or in the rest of my life