As You Get Older, There Are Going

Competing At The Olympics Is The Pinnacle Of Your Career. Everything Is Amplified, And You Feel So Proud To Represent Your Country. You're There With Athletes From All Over The World. Everyone Is Coming Together, Putting Differences Aside.

I Had Worked So Hard; That Was My Opportunity. And My Mom Was Just Able To Turn It Around For Me. She Helped Me To Be Able To See The Other Side Of Things And That This Is Not The End For Me.

My Mom Always Has This Amazing Ability To Always See The Best In A Situation. In That Moment [when Finished 2nd In The 200 Meter Race In The 2008 Olympic Games] I Was Just Completely Devastated. I Mean, I Had Worked So Hard; That Was My Opportunity. And She Was Just Able To Turn It Around For Me. She Helped Me To Be Able To See The Other Side Of Things And That This Is Not The End For Me. She's Just An Amazing Supporter And An Encouraging Person And She Has A Unique Ability To Do That. And So Those Are The Kind Of Things She Said To Me In That Moment And Over The Next Four Years. When Things Get Tough, She's Always Been My Strength.

Before A Race, I Block Out What's Going On In The Stadium. It's Different For Everyone. But For Me, I've Always Been Able To Block It Out. For A Sprint Race, It's Important Not To Get Distracted.

I Grew Up In My Mom's Third Grade Classroom And Always Helping Her, And I Also Got A Passion For Kids That Way.