Eric Shanteau Quotes

I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer when I was growing up.

My whole swimming career was about training to beat Michael Phelps in any race I possibly could.

I'm trying to focus on the 100 and 200 breaststroke now. There's no point concentrating on the 50 when it's not in the Olympics. I'm not going to quit the 50 but it's not my priority any more. I'll do it but as part of my bid for gold at the other distances.

Michael Phelps wouldn't have been on the Wheaties box if I stuck with swimming. I've been swimming since I was a little kid. I still swim. I'm the best.

I grew up in Florida, so you start swimming at the age of 1, really. By 10, I was competitive swimming, and by 12, I had aspirations to be the best in the world.

I grew up a competitive swimmer. I wanted to go the Olympics. Both my parents were professional swimmers. I competed internationally quite often, right up until I moved to California to pursue music.

When I started windsurfing, it was a hobby, and I enjoyed the lifestyle. Then it became an Olympic dream. Now I've achieved that with a medal. I just feel so lucky.

As an athlete, my first Olympic experience was Sydney 2000. I remember seeing people getting medals, and I thought, 'Wow, that's where I want to be.'

Actually, I always dreamed about getting a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle in Olympic swimming. I always thought that would be the epic award in sports to get.

And from that nineteen sixty four, this was my goal to go to Olympic Games. And I realized what does it mean, Olympic Games, like big celebration.

After my swims this weekend I think coach realized, you know what, you have to have a good one getting out of this meet. So I put the suit on and had a decent swim.

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.

The Olympic dream was born in 2010 during the qualifications to Vancouver. And when I was watching those Olympics from the sidelines, I felt that I wanted to have my Games. I understood that it wouldn't be easy to make them, especially now that in Russia there are a lot of strong girls.

I was an avid swimmer and was state champ at age 12.

It is pretty amazing. My parents, who came from Nicaragua to the U.S. - who would have thought that they would have American kids on the Olympic team? I think that's the epitome of the Olympic dream.

I was around 15 when I first wanted to compete in an Olympics. I even remember the first time I got to wear a GB kit as a junior. I've even kept it. It's in my mum's loft somewhere, probably gone mouldy by now.

I always dreamt of holding the bat and winning games for India. That was my inspiration to take up cricket.

I started swimming when I was four because my brother wanted to join a swim team, and I wanted to do what he did. They said I had to be six, but if I could swim a lap, then I could participate. So I swam a lap, and the rest is history.

I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do. And I want to change the world of swimming.

In Athens I was 17 and I didn't have any expectations. I was just swimming fast and racing everybody. I didn't have the joy after my races in 2007. I didn't want to go to Beijing. I had to for sponsors.

I have achieved a lot and I'm grateful for that - I'm just a bit greedy because I want to add the Olympics. It's once every four years - everyone wants it and very few people get it.

I don't linger on the fact that Dawn Fraser was a great swimmer 40 years ago. That was in the past. I did break 41 world records, but I don't live on that today.

It's always great to see young swimmers and their excitement and the joy that they have in the water.

I'd love to go to the Olympics. I grew up watching it on TV, and I was always very patriotic and passionate watching that. I'd like to give that back to my country, but I know I can't just walk into the side.

I think it's when I won the Youth Olympics I thought, 'I can really get gold in London.'