I always have someone to look up to, and I think it helps me with motivating myself.
From Shawn Johnson
Injury taught me I need to learn how to face challenges.
It might have been easier to retire, to say my knee couldn't handle it and let that be that. At the same time, the prospect of not being able to compete in gymnastics anymore was heartbreaking.
To have any doubt in your body is the biggest weakness an athlete can have. There are times when I physically can't get myself to go for a skill because I'm thinking, 'My knee hurts really bad.'
After 13 years of hard landings in gymnastics, one ski run had delivered the biggest injury of my career.
I started from zero and went back to the basics in gymnastics.
I had surgery to repair the ACL in February 2010 and was back in the gym by June, but rushed things too quickly and ended up re-tearing my MCL in September.
I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam and I might re-tear my ACL.'
I'm pleased to say my knee feels a lot better. It's still not back to normal, and I don't know if it ever will be, but I'm learning to deal with it instead of expecting it to be like it was before.
I told myself after 2008 that I was done for good. But they say you can't keep a gymnast away from her sport.
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