SHAWN JOHNSON

It might have been easier to retire, to say my knee couldn't handle it and let that be that. At the same time, the prospect of not being able to compete in gymnastics anymore was heartbreaking.

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.'

It's about putting in the hours and going through the paces.

My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski.

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.

I didn't make it a priority, and as a result my knee didn't heal to the extent it should have.

I don't know where I'm really going to cha cha, but hopefully I can find a place.

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.

I have a lot of expectations and a lot of goals I want to fulfill, but the biggest dream is still to make the Olympic team for London.

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 want to go to college, obviously go to London and just kind of figure out the rest of my life.

The body is an amazing machine... If you eat the right things your body will perform incredibly well!

To have any doubt in your body is the biggest weakness an athlete can have. There are times when I physically can't get myself to go for a skill because I'm thinking, 'My knee hurts really bad.'

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.

Every year I just kept going back to gymnastics, but I didn't start out training 10 hours a day. When I turned 10 or 11, I got more serious and I focused a lot on making it to the elite level, and from there I just kept going.

I know how much more I need to do to be where I want.

I still can't believe I'm an Olympic athlete.

My other life keeps me calm and grounded and normal.

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

A comeback in gymnastics is almost impossible in itself.

I get less and less sleep these days, so when I have any down time all I want to do is sleep!

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.

After 13 years of hard landings in gymnastics, one ski run had delivered the biggest injury of my career.

I usually work out 4 hours a day during the week and 5 to 6 hours on Saturday, with Sundays off.

Staying healthy and consistent is paramount.