Mary Lou Retton Quotes

As an athlete, you figure you work your whole life to have what you have, and to be able to show the world what you have and how proud you are of it, that's always fun.

My jersey hanging from the ceiling is going to be a symbol of the hard work of the people I played with.

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

The experience of being an Olympian is one that can never be taken away from you.

Hit a home run - put your head down, drop the bat, run around the bases, because the name on the front is more - a lot more important than the name on the back.

It means a lot to be an Olympian. I'm obviously so grateful and feel so lucky I was able to achieve my dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Being named to the Olympic team has special meaning to it because I feel like I've come full circle.

I won't say I have won many matches, but I used to take care to just do my role.

To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay is a real honor and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.

I would like to be remembered as a boxer who tried to do his best.

On television, I have watched countless athletes from different countries, sports and Olympics stand proudly at the top of the podium and shed tears. They symbolized the Olympics for me because Olympic medals represent all of the hard work and sacrifices made by the athletes as well as the people who helped them reach the top of their sports.

I am glad. I am now an Olympic medallist.

My dream was always to win in the Olympic Games, but I never set that next goal, and I have realised now I need to set another goal.

I just want to continue to play great football - that's all that matters. I don't really care about the accolades or any of that.

I played for 18 years, but the only thing that meant anything to me was the World Series.

Today I join the greatest players that played the game. It is a great feeling being here.

I'm pretty proud of having completed a marathon myself, so I can only imagine the pride that real athletes feel when they are picked for the Olympic or the Paralympic Games.

Making the Hall of Fame, would it be something that's gratifying because of what I've sacrificed? Sure. Baseball has been a big part of our lives. We've sacrificed our bodies. It's the way we made our living.

Win or lose today I am proud of the way my boys have played in the tournament.

Honestly, it's not the medals that I feel so proud of. It's the way I conducted myself as an athlete, the hard work that I put forward.

If you're on the varsity team, the responsibilities are a lot bigger and there's more stress, but you also walk around feeling probably like you can hold your head high.

I was lucky enough to have the talent to play baseball. That's how I treated my career. I didn't think I was anybody special, anybody different.

I'm blessed to have a little bit of success in football.

I think if I am to win an Olympic medal I'll have to score like I did today.

Regardless of whether it is playing for your school team or playing for Manchester United, winning is great.