Ashton Eaton

When I was growing up, I used to watch 'Power Rangers' and 'Ninja Turtles.' It seemed like every movie had someone doing martial arts in it, so I would go around punching and kicking trees.

I remember growing up, having sports to go to, having recess, those were the things I looked forward to. Yes, I'm an athlete, but I had buddies who weren't, and they looked forward to it, too.

When I was a junior and an up-and-coming athlete, I don't think I looked to anyone for inspiration. I was so busy trying to improve myself and learning these new events and learning about the decathlon in general that I didn't really have time to focus on anyone else.

In high school, I had a gold 1992 Ford Explorer. It was a gift. I used to have a terrible habit of locking the keys in the car when I used leave the car running to help it start on a cold morning. I think the local locksmith became used to me calling him.

I don't set goals. Competing with a number in your head can be limiting, and I don't know what my capabilities are yet.

That's what we want people to do. Select a goal or gold and go after it.

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.

My goal in Korea is to win. There's no timetable when to set the American record.

I compete against myself in competitions anyway, so I train against myself in practice.

I think when the competitions come, I am always ready to go. I don't think I ever have not been.

Even if you see a great performance, it's not always great getting there. There are injuries... Intrinsically or unconsciously, people understand that - people see those performances, and they know there are stories behind that.

Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.