I've never had a teammate competing with me my whole life.

People only see gymnastics on TV and in the Olympics at such an extreme. So it can be intimidating.

I was able to do Classics, the U.S. national championships and the Pan American Games and feel like I improved with each meet, but I was still struggling with a lot of residual pain from the two surgeries.

I told myself after 2008 that I was done for good. But they say you can't keep a gymnast away from her sport.

I started from zero and went back to the basics in gymnastics.

To finish off this whole Olympics by finally getting the gold medal, it's the best feeling in the world.

I missed being considered an athlete and having that competitive drive, and missed having something to work for every day. I'd taken two and a half years away from the sport and was out of shape. I wanted to get back to where I was in 2008.