For me it’s the challenge-the challenge to try to beat myself or do better than I did in the past. I try to keep in mind not what I have accomplished but what I have to try to accomplish in the future.
The medals don’t mean anything and the glory doesn’t last. It’s all about your happiness. The rewards are going to come but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.
I don’t think being an athlete is unfeminine. I think of it as a kind of grace.
I always keep myself in a position of being a student.
My denial and irresponsible attitude about asthma put me at great risk and caused me so much needless suffering. My hope is that the kids I talk to learn to open up about their asthma, become educated about their condition, and seek help.
Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.
The London games mark the 24th anniversary of my winning two golds and setting the world record in the heptathlon. Someone is going to want it records are made to be broken – it’s only a matter of time. I hope mine will outlive me.
I do not take steroids. I never have. It’s sad to me that people want to point fingers. I don’t do that. That’s not me. I wouldn’t feel like a human being.
Teaching kids about health and fitness is important to me. It’s about being fit for life.
Even though I’m not a competitive athlete, I have to still maintain things and try to keep myself fit because I am at that age where I need to make sure to get those regular checkups and make sure everything is in tact.