Love your sport. Never do it to please someone else; it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is who is truly your best competition.

In 1968, in the midst of the tumultuous 1960s, the Olympics were much more than just another event

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.

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.

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

I think skating helped me find myself.