“I was at the Olympic Games winning medals and I still doubted my image. I doubted what I looked like. That's sad.”
Sad“When I was younger, my coach, Liang Chow, made all the decisions. I would go to the gym for practice, do exactly what Chow told me to do, go home, come back and start all over again. If Chow told me to do 50 squat jumps, I did 50 squat jumps.”
Home“I was at the Olympic Games winning medals and I still doubted my image. I doubted what I looked like. That's sad.”
Sad“We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're never good enough.”
Age“I'm pleased to say my knee feels a lot better. It's still not back to normal, and I don't know if it ever will be, but I'm learning to deal with it instead of expecting it to be like it was before.”
Learning“I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam and I might re-tear my ACL.'”
Fear“I have a chaperone everywhere I go - my mom.”
Mom“The body is an amazing machine... If you eat the right things your body will perform incredibly well!”
Amazing“When I was younger, my coach, Liang Chow, made all the decisions. I would go to the gym for practice, do exactly what Chow told me to do, go home, come back and start all over again. If Chow told me to do 50 squat jumps, I did 50 squat jumps.”
Home“It sounds funny, but the 2008 Olympics were something that just kind of happened, and I was lucky they came at a point when I was uninjured and well prepared. As a gymnast, you can't ask for much more.”
Funny“I pay attention to my diet to be a healthier gymnast, but I'm not obsessive over it.”
Diet“I'm doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well.”
Fitness“Something my mom taught me when I was little is that everything happens for a reason.”
Mom“My parents- they've been my biggest influences and supporters since day one. They teach me every day that happiness comes from within and not from something outside of your heart.”
Happiness“Gymnastics taught me everything - life lessons, responsibility and discipline and respect.”
Respect“I'm trying to stay as calm as possible and focus one day at a time, but when reality sets in, I feel everything: anxiety, excitement, nerves, pressure and joy.”
Time