There was a time when my parents had to sell off a plot of land so that I can buy a rifle for competitive tournaments. After that we stayed in a rented house for the next 15 years.

Initially it was a journey about one girl who wanted to go to the Paralympics but over the two years it has become something I was doing for everyone else. The reason I wanted to do it so badly was so I could stand here and show it can be done even if you have setbacks.

I didn’t give up at any point even when my classification was changed. When people told me I couldn’t do it I never gave up at any point and I’m here proving if you work hard and you have a passion for something you can get there.

I grew up doing gymnastics. It requires discipline, eating right, getting sleep, lots of sacrifice. But the pros outweigh the sacrifice.

As a team, you try to win – you try to push in as many overs you can – but that’s how it’s played.

It’s important to have a strong work ethic to succeed, and even more important to stay hungry for more.

I can’t put my mind to anything else. I’m not interested in hanging out or partying. For me, it’s all about the pitch: training, playing. But even when I go home, afterwards, it’s football the whole time. I think I’m obsessed!

Anything is possible as long as you’re focused, determined and you really want to do it.

I’ve always given everything for every team I’ve played for so that the ordinary fans, the people in the stadium, could identify with me. I owe a lot to the fans of Roma, Fiorentina and Argentina. They were the reason I played, my inspiration. I always worked hard to improve my game, to prove to myself that I could be one of the best for as long as possible. To be honest, I couldn’t care less what the others think.

To win Olympic gold, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of passion, and a lot of sacrifices.

I’ve always believed in taking risks and chasing my dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.

You should see what our Founding Fathers used to say to each other and in the early part of our nation. But what they were able to do, especially in Philadelphia in 1787, four months, they argued about what a House should be, what a Senate should be, the power of the president, the Congress, the Supreme Court. And they had to deal with slavery.

As a soccer player, I wanted an FA Cup winner’s medal. As an actor you want an Oscar. As a chef it’s three-Michelin’s stars, there’s no greater than that. So pushing yourself to the extreme creates a lot of pressure and a lot of excitement, and more importantly, it shows on the plate.

Put your head down and work hard. Never wait for things to happen, make them happen for yourself through hard graft and not giving up.

I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time.

If a Man Does His Best, What Else Is There?

There may be some tough times here in America. But this country has gone through tough times before, and we’re going to do it again.

In terms of playing ability there is nothing to choose between number one and 100. Instead, it’s a question of who believes and who wants it more? Which player is mentally stronger? Which player is going to fight the hardest in the big points? These are the things that determine who is the champion.

Hope, purpose and determination are not merely mental states. They have electrochemical connections that affect the immune system.

These are the days of my life. Extra money, I’ve maxed out. I’m in a tizzy to get a lot.

You got to have a strong mind if you fall back. When you fall back, they going to count you out. So you got to have a strong mind and know your worth. When you come back, you’ve got to be different and even more better.

When you decide to move your life to the next level of accomplishment, you must fasten you mental and spiritual seat belts because it is going to be a while before you reach that comfortable level again.

Making things happen in your life requires a faith, or an ability to believe that is unshakable, regardless of your circumstances.

Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner.

If neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain, can keep you away from the thing you want.