The support down here in Rio has been amazing – between my family, Team U.S.A. and Team Kellogg’s, I’ve felt so much love. This whole experience has been a dream come true.
I always say my biggest competitor is myself because, whenever I step out there on the mat, I’m competing against myself to prove that I can do this and that I am very well trained, prepared for it.
In the morning, I usually get up between 7:40 A.M. and 7:45 A.M., and then I’ll brush my teeth, do my hair, and just throw on my leotard and my clothes and go to the kitchen.
When I was younger, I thought every kid was adopted because that’s all I’ve known. I have everything I need, so I never felt the need to have answers for what happened.
We’ve always had each other’s backs in and out of competition. We support each other the most because we’re the only ones that know what it’s like to go through what we do, and so we can’t be more thankful for each other. We’re like sisters.
My mom, Nellie, got me a rosary at church. I don’t use it to pray before a competition. I’ll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case.
