i had a series of childhood illnesses... scarlet fever.... pneumonia.... Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

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I don't consciously try to be a role model, so I don't know if I am or not. That's for other people to decide.

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The triumph can't be had without the struggle. And I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.

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But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.

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I tell them that the most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself.

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I don't know why I run so fast. I just run.

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i thought I'd never get to see that. Florence Griffith Joyner -- every time she ran, I ran.

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By the time I was 12 I was challenging every boy in our neighborhood at running, jumping, everything.

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It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish. It's all a matter of discipline. I was determined to discover what life held for me beyond the inner-city streets.

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Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose.

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