I had a series of childhood illnesses . . . scarlet fever . . . . pneumonia . . . . Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

Sometimes it takes years to really grasp what has happened to your life.

"When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God why was I here? what was my purpose? Surely, it wasn't just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that."

"When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome."

"What do you do after you are world-famous and nineteen or twenty and you have sat with prime ministers, kings and queens, the Pope? Do you go back home and take a job? What do you do to keep your sanity? You come back to the real world."