It doesn't matter who other people are saying the favourite is; I'm still going in to win the gold medal.
I came back to Louisville after the Olympics with my shiny gold medal. Went into a luncheonette where black folks couldn't eat. Thought I'd put them on the spot. I sat down and asked for a meal. The Olympic champion wearing his gold medal. They said, "We don't serve niggers here." I said, "That's okay, I don't eat 'em." But they put me out in the street. So I went down to the river, the Ohio River, and threw my gold medal in it.
When you win an Olympic gold, it is such a powerful feeling that stays with you for the rest of your life.
I've always dreamed of an Olympic medal.
I've won the African Cup, I've won an Olympic gold medal. That says everything.
I knew if I went home with the gold medal knowing that I could do better, I wasn't going to be very satisfied.
My life has been a whirlwind since the '94 Olympics.
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.
The Olympics is a dream of mine.
If you can come to the Olympic Games and leave with a medal then that is alright.
It's always great to perform, make the podium, and yeah, gold, silver, and bronze, will also encourage other nations, Asia, America to do better.
Playing in Wembley Stadium in front of 83-some-thousand fans to win a gold medal was unreal.
Growing up, I always dreamed of winning an NBA championship, never a gold. A gold was something that never crossed my mind.
Gold medal always feels great. In fact, any appreciation or acknowledgement is a great morale booster.
I had my Olympic gold medal cut up into eleven pieces. Gave all eleven of my kids a piece. It'll come together again when they put me down.
After I came back from London with a gold medal, my focus straight away was to defend it four years on.
At just 16 years old, I was told that my back would never be the same again. My well-being had been neglected for the opportunity to win a gold medal.
To finish off this whole Olympics by finally getting the gold medal, it's the best feeling in the world.
It's the Olympics. And it was a long way for me. To compete at the Olympic Games, I dreamed of any medal, but frankly speaking, I wanted a gold one.
It has always been a dream to win either the Olympic gold medal or the World Cup.
I'm just glad my gold medal's at home, because I'd hate to try to win another.
It was truly an enjoyable moment in my life that I will never forget having the opportunity to play for two gold medals. But I think nothing sticks out more than winning a championship in 1991 for me.
After one Olympics, if we invest in sports and say we will get a gold medal in the next Olympic, it doesn't work like that in sports. How it works is that you provide the infrastructure, provide education about nutrition and health.
It surprised me, the feeling I got when I won the Oscar for 'Scent of a Woman.' It was a new feeling. I'd never felt it. I don't see my Oscar much now. But when I first got it, there was a feeling for weeks afterward that I guess is akin to winning a gold medal in the Olympics.
I've learned that winning isn't everything, and it's more about the journey. But at the end of the day, I just want to stand on the podium with the gold medal.
