Everybody kept saying I wasn't going to get any fights. And they wouldn't put me on TV and they don't respect women's boxing. But I also turned professional with two Olympic gold medals and that's something that no other American boxer has ever done. With that, I've been getting a lot of respect.

Claressa Shields

/images/quoteimage/aaron-ramsey-1792.jpg

Having the chance to win a gold medal doesn't come around very often.

For any athlete growing up, the Olympics is the one thing you watch with your family, and it's the one thing you dream about. Seeing your country's flag go up as you get a gold medal is the best thing you can achieve.

Abby Wambach

Family Your You

Just because I have two world records, everyone assumes that means automatically it is two guaranteed gold medals, but it isn't like that, and anything can happen in a race.

Adam Peaty

World Record World Very

They usually say that after the Olympic Games, somebody's life changes forever, and a lot of times, it's the gold medalist. But I have a feeling that my life has changed forever.

Adam Rippon

Time Life Change

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.

Al Pacino

War Car Won

After I got my gold medal, I thought, 'This isn't just me. It belongs to my team, my friends, my family, the fans, everybody who's impacted my life - this is our gold medal.' So when someone asks to try it on, I'm like, 'Sure, why not?' I might be a little too relaxed about it, but why would I keep it to myself?

Alex Morgan

Life Family Would

I made a gym, it's the best gym in Nicaragua, I have kids that this year July 6th through the 11th will be fighting and then will go on to the Central American Games and I'm sure at least one will win a gold medal.

Alexis Arguello

Car Year Win

And I want a gold medal more than anything. I just want a gold medal, so that's been pushing me forward.

Alicia Sacramone

War Want Us

To join or not to join films was the biggest choice I had to make. I'd done two years of biogenetic engineering, was an economics graduate and a gold medalist. I had also been a Bharatanatyam dancer from age five, always won the best actress award in school. Finally, I decided to do things for my soul, chose to act.

Amisha Patel

War Age Years

That's the awesome part. Little girls now have a chance to look up and see women playing soccer, basketball, softball and now hockey - and know they can win a gold medal, too.

Angela Ruggiero

Women Men Chance

There are some real memorable highlights in my history that, in my mind, are such milestones. Winning a national championship in college and being on the Olympic platform getting a gold medal. Visiting the Hall of Fame and going into the Hall of Fame.

Anne Donovan

History Winning Win

You don't just go and pick up a gold medal anymore.

Anne Donovan

You Us Up

I've won a world championship, I know how that feels. I don't know how it feels to win a gold medal. I want to feel that; I want to know that.

Ariane Fortin

World Champion World Won

To be with the other two-time gold medalists is great, but it's great to just be a decathlete.

Ashton Eaton

Time Great Wit

That's what has always been good about track. The goal is very clearly defined: Try to win. Get the gold medal. And I'm able to put my energy toward that.

Ashton Eaton

War Good Win

Winning the World Cup is definitely the highlight of my career. I thought the gold medal at the Olympics would peak it, but winning the World Cup, the reception... it's what we all dreamed of when we were little.

Becky Sauerbrunn

Car Would World Cup

I'm going to win a gold medal.

Ben Askren

Win T Old

My salvation was a free gift. I didn't have to work for it and it's better than any gold medal that I've ever won.

Betty Cuthbert

Work Won Than

I know beating a woman isn't like winning seven gold medals. But how many old guys are there in the world? You think they can relate to Mark Spitz? They relate to me, Bobby Riggs.

Bobby Riggs

You World Woman

When I did win the Tour, I felt I was feted more in the U.K. for being an Olympic gold medallist... Then I come back to Europe to race, and they're not interested in the Olympic gold; it's about being the winner of the Tour de France - here he is.

Bradley Wiggins

Winner Win Tour

It's an Olympic Games, at the end of the day, and to represent your country at the Olympics is about as good as it gets. Put a gold medal on top of that, and it doesn't ever get any better.

Bradley Wiggins

Teofilo Stevenson won his first Olympic gold medal in 1972 and his last world amateur championship in 1986. He won 302 fights and once went an unbelievable 11 years without a loss. Had Cuba not boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics, many think Stevenson would have won an unmatched four gold medals in boxing.

Brin-Jonathan Butler

For so long I wanted to win the gold medal. Then I won. I had to figure out what was the new motivation to take myself to that place again.

Bryan Clay

'Esquire Magazine' just gave me 'Father of the Year'. I'll put it right up there with my gold medal. I survived; that's why they gave it to me.

Caitlyn Jenner

I'm just glad my gold medal's at home, because I'd hate to try to win another.

Caitlyn Jenner

If I win the gold medal, I will be set for the rest of my life. The medal itself doesn't give you anything, but it makes you a marketable item. You take it and see what you can do.

Caitlyn Jenner

I think the mental victory is worth it as much as a gold medal.

Cameron van der Burgh

When I decided to go for four gold medals I planned it out over a few years. It was in four different events and there was a lot to it.

Carl Lewis

Playing in Wembley Stadium in front of 83-some-thousand fans to win a gold medal was unreal.

Carli Lloyd

Every athlete wants to win an Olympic gold medal, and I'd be lying if I said that's not what I wanted.

Cate Campbell

Nowadays a gold medal is a $1 million contract. Our athletes are our heroes.

Cathy Rigby

Brazil doesn't get a lot of gold medals, so whenever I get a chance, everybody expects me to win, and to get second is a big disappointment.

Cesar Cielo

I don't know about you, but I lie awake nights worrying about Canadian uranium. I know these people. I grew up there. You have no idea what they're capable of doing. If Sidney Crosby hadn't scored that goal to win the Olympic gold medal, there's no telling what might have ensued.

Charles Krauthammer

Winning HOYS set me up for the future and prepared me for riding in front of lots of people, but the real highlight was the London 2012 Olympics. Being able to go out in front of thousands of people, on your home ground, representing your country and winning gold medals is something I'll never be able to beat.

Charlotte Dujardin

My ultimate dream was to get to the Olympics. I never thought I would come away with two gold medals.

Charlotte Dujardin

To be one of the first British females to get three gold medals, to join Laura Trott in doing that, is a huge privilege.

Charlotte Dujardin

I knew if I went home with the gold medal knowing that I could do better, I wasn't going to be very satisfied.

Chloe Kim

It would be meaningful if I can get a gold medal in my parents' country.

Chloe Kim

DeGale has the pedigree that is spoken about in terms of gold medallists and former world champions.

Chris Eubank Sr.

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.

Chris Klein

The Olympics in '92, I didn't contribute that much. I had more to do with winning the National Championships than I did the gold medal.

Christian Laettner

The only thing that me and Muhammad Ali have in common is that we are both Olympic gold medalists and both very outspoken.

Claressa Shields

To be honest, I already felt that I was going to win the gold medal, but with school being so hard I was kind of second-guessing myself. So, when I actually was told that I was going to be able to walk across the stage and be done with high school, it was such a relief.

Claressa Shields

I still really haven't sat down and said 'yeah, I'm ranked No. 1 in the world and I'm an Olympic Gold Medalist.' It just hasn't hit me.

Claressa Shields

I slept with my gold medal.

Claressa Shields

Everybody kept saying I wasn't going to get any fights. And they wouldn't put me on TV and they don't respect women's boxing. But I also turned professional with two Olympic gold medals and that's something that no other American boxer has ever done. With that, I've been getting a lot of respect.

Claressa Shields

I had a lot of wonderful accomplishments in the game of basketball. Of course, to win a gold medal for your country - it doesn't get any better than that.

Clyde Drexler

Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.

Dan Gable

Breaking the world record in '92 was a very special personal moment, but I'd say my favorite moment as a decathlete was winning the Olympic gold medal. It was a lot of years of work, and when I won it, it was more a sense of relief than jubilation or exaltation.

Dan O'Brien

Through everything I've gone through- and I've been everywhere, at the top of the world, in jail, hung over drunk - I never gave up my dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

Dan O'Brien