Muhammad Ali meant everything to me. He inspired me to box after watching re-runs of him winning a gold medal in the Olympics and being a world champion.
I always dreamed of going to the Olympics. To be going to the Games in your own country is another thing; to do it as a potential medallist is another thing again.
Even if I flop, I still qualified for the Games, and that was my goal. My target was to be at an Olympics for the third time with people I like.
Even if you've been involved in a World Cup, the Olympics is huge. Only the Games has the power to change communities.
Mum was a high-jumper and qualified to go to the Olympics, but it got into the newspapers that she was married to my father, and the church put pressure on her to pull out of the Olympic team, saying, 'You can't be exposing all your legs.' That's how strong the influence of the church was on us all.
You feel the Olympics and you get chills and nervous and a little scared. You go through the emotional roller coaster at what it's like to compete at the Olympic level and you let that run through your whole body.
Dance music has evolved very much. From DJs playing at the Olympics, to playing at the Super Bowl, working with Cirque Du Soleil and even getting recognized at the Grammys with awards, dance music is growing in a big way.
Having the opportunity to go to the U.S. Olympics was great because I was the first Latina in over 30 years to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics.
The Olympics are great for notoriety right off the bat, but your body of work is what people remember you for.
Before the last Olympics, we had meat raffles at the local surf club to get petrol money to go to training, to help out with the bills. But I know there are a lot of athletes worse off and that all athletes, at some stage of their careers, have made sacrifices.
My father-in-law and I always had great interest in Indian sport. At the Athens Olympics, watching the wrestling event, we started discussing the state of Indian sport - inadequate representation, lack of satisfactory results etc. We thought we should do something about it.
People watch the Olympics because they want to believe in heroes; I know I did.
Training for the Olympics was a lifelong endeavor and took many years.
If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard.
I'd like my children to learn that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and that when you make a decision to do something like pursuing the Olympics, like I have, it needs to be a family affair.
Whether it was turning around failing companies, rescuing the Olympics, or improving the business climate in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney has proven that he is ready to be president on Day One.
At the Olympics, I'm representing the United States as well as the town and people who helped shape me.
The booing and the drama help make the Olympics interesting, but at what cost? When will people finally get tired of it and start watching the X-Games or competitive tire rolling instead?
Let's not forget that the Paralympics, just like the Olympics, are built on a rich history.
Russell joined the team in December, 1956, following the Olympics.
She said I did good and I think she was happy with what I did. She just wants me to get my higher Start Value vault, which I'll be competing at Trials and, hopefully, the Olympics.
Four years ago, I felt the importance of the Olympics and how it is different from other events. It's a completely different atmosphere. The main advice I can give my teammates is to try to enjoy the experience.
The greatest memory for me of the 1984 Olympics was not the individual honors, but standing on the podium with my teammates to receive our team gold medal.
I think even if I was to go out there and win the Olympics, everyone's still going to remember the pre-race routine that I do and the video that went viral, so, y'know, that's alright for me.
In 1968, in the midst of the tumultuous 1960s, the Olympics were much more than just another event.
I've decided to make my main priority for the next two years not playing the violin, but training for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
I raced in London in the 2012 Olympics, and it was incredible to be a part of, with half a million people watching and then later seeing kids going back to cycle.
My experience at the 1992 Winter Olympics was my fulfillment of dreaming the Impossible Dream.
In the television era, the second week of the Olympics is reserved for what is considered the marquee event: track and field.
I know there's life after the Olympics.
The Olympics is about letting people believe in their own dreams.
I'd love to go to the Olympics. I grew up watching it on TV, and I was always very patriotic and passionate watching that. I'd like to give that back to my country, but I know I can't just walk into the side.
London 2012 was the toughest time in our relationship but also the best. Things could get fractious - we were both competing for gold - but standing next to my brother on the start line for a home Olympics was so special. I remember saying: 'Let's go.'
I do a lot of running and hiking, and I also collect stamps - space stamps and Olympics stamps.
The USA have recently done well in the Olympics and the Youth World Cup. So I think there will be some good young players available in the future, and not too expensive which is important to the club.
I'm not supposed to be able to speak clearly, and decipher what's going on in the media. I'm supposed to be the typical amateur who's 22 and scared to death and can't believe he won the Olympics.
