By carrying the torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation.

Do not wonder why you are blessed with so much, just understand you have so much so you can help other people have as much as you.

My career has always been one of the most important things, but after having a baby you find that it drops down on the totem pole.

It's not like I've been vaulting my whole life. I haven't. So my body hasn't taken that physical beating. I'm still on the upscale.

It's really important for me to look good before a race. I definitely think if I feel I look good, it makes me feel more confident.

No matter what you're trying to do there will be noise in the market... Before the race starts, I'm already focused on the victory.

Greatness finds us by obstacles in front of us. I don’t look at hurdles as obstacles blocking my path but opportunities to overcome.

Sometimes bad things are going to happen in your life, and those things can make you stronger if you just learn how to get over them.

It's all about understanding that God is behind every performance, good or bad, and that trusting Him will always leave you satisfied.

I never have prayed to win a gold medal at Olympics and never will. The Lord is my Shepard and I shall not want. May His will be done.

When I decided to go for four gold medals I planned it out over a few years. It was in four different events and there was a lot to it.

Quite honestly, there are days when I don't need a God who will deliver me from the pit, just a God who will get down in a pit with me.

At first I could not believe what I was reading. I got up from my seat and walked away, talking to myself that I may have found my mom.

I don't look at Twitter between events because it's a distraction but I will ring my fiance and parents to let them know how it's going.

There's always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I've learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out.

I always look back to my first Olympic medal in 2004 in Athens. I was very new to the sport, and it was my first big win at the Olympics.

I realized I could run after finding out that my dad used to run and it gave me the morale that if he did it then maybe I could also run.

I realised I could run after finding out that my dad used to run and it gave me the morale that if he did it then maybe I could also run.

My favorite healthy foods are Jamaican chicken soup, Jamaican chicken stew peas, Jamaican brown stew chicken, plantains and banana chips.

I don't feel I'm qualified to be a coach outside the high school level. I think I would need to do more education to really be a good coach.

I don't want to think of life after competing. But if I were to do anything else I'd go down the psychology route. That's what interests me.

I've dated athletes before but it's too tough because we have the same job, we deal with the same problems and both do a very selfish sport.

I've heard so many stories of young girls watching the Olympics and being inspired by it, and they want to do it now, and that's really cool.

I spend around two and half hours on the track every day running and another 2 hours in the weight room lifting weights with my strength coach.

I know what I have to do, and I'm going to do whatever it takes. If I do it, I'll come out a winner, and it doesn't matter what anyone else does.

In Jamaica High School in New York, my coach was Larry Ellis, and he said I could probably make the Olympic team. He gave me something to shoot for.

Basketball is big stuff in New York. If you're good in it, everybody respects you. Nobody would want to ruin your shooting eye or your shooting arm.

Billy Konchellah with his World Championship titles, Paul Ereng with his Olympic gold and Wilson Kipketer with his World records are my role models.

The pressure is hard. You get - the world is only watching every four years, and I think lots of people feel like they have to win in that time frame.

If I wasn't active and involved in different sports and just moving around, I wouldn't have even known that I had the potential to become an Olympian.

I know that they [Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith-Joyner and even Wilma Rudolph] have paved the way and they have been a source of inspiration.

I like to listen to my iPod and also play music. I've been doing percussion since I was eight or nine. Rhythm is crucial in long jump but also in life.

I definitely think I put more pressure on myself. I can be hard on myself and super-critical and very rarely satisfied or happy. I am my biggest critic.

To this day, most people think of me as the fastest human. They don't really think me as a long jumper, although that's the event I had more success in.

I don't look at myself as being famous. I look at myself as an athlete. If the money is there, I'd be happy, but I have to be happy within myself first.

Of course, rivals do affect athletes mentally, but if you are competing with top-notch athletes, you will push each other, you will encourage each other.

Even if the pace is slow in championships, you can still sprint well and still power in the last 200, which is always the main part when the race is slow.

My mom is great and I make sure that we pray together before every race. She helps me put everything in perspective and remind me of the real reason I run.

I remember the first time I drove mum's car. We just went to a car park near my house, and it actually wasn't too bad. I felt quite confident straight away.

An athlete and actor are really two different temperaments, night and day. As an athlete you really keep things out and as an actor you really bring things in.

The ultimate would be to compete in a couple more Olympics, hopefully break some world records and wind up my sports career with a couple of years in the WNBA.

Love is not about two people doing things similar. It is about two people doing things differently to cover one another's flaws, and making it a perfect whole.

It is about what you do when nobody is watching. Can you always stay on your grind, or are you only a star when the lights are on you and everybody is watching?

On a scale of one to 10, I'd rate my body confidence as a good seven. Everyone has their hang-ups, but I see my body as a training tool and I feel good about it.

I think the people who have really followed my career from the time I was seven years old can see my steady progress and see the type of person and athlete I am.

And as long as I'm passionate about the sport, I'm able to do that and I'm happy, then I would love to do another Olympics. I'm just going to see how I'm feeling.

I know there are a lot of people out there who have the best intentions but not the voice, so it's about people like me to give them a voice and hear their ideas.

There's definitely a whole double standard. I don't understand it. A guy can be sexy and good-looking, and it totally just enhances his credibility as an athlete.

If a female is good-looking, it totally decreases her credibility. Now she's not a good athlete - she's only good in these track meets because she's good-looking.

Scientists have proven that it's impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don't listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet.

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