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I've never been a cocky individual, but I am very confident.

People thought I was cocky because I didn't talk much. When I first turned pro, reporters asked me who was going to win. I'd say, 'I am' because it was the easier than giving some long, drawn-out answer.

When you're expected to win and you have the press saying that you are going to win the Olympic gold medal, and you're the only sure thing in the Olympics, it can undermine your confidence.

I'm going into my first Olympics, whereas people I'm racing against are going into their third and fourth and probably last Olympics. So there's more pressure on them to perform. I've still got a whole future ahead of me. I am not even the Olympic champ.

You learn a lot from your first Olympic Games experience. Everyone thinks they're prepared, but you never are.

I'm not cocky at all. You ask anybody, I'm one of the nicest guys. I try to be as humble as I can, but if you work hard, sometimes you know that you earned more respect.

I don't say it in a cocky way, but I take pride in being one of the best at doing what I do.

People who aren't perhaps that into sport are going to be following me and wanting to be part of the Olympics. That definitely does bring added pressure but as an athlete the Olympics are the ultimate competition.

No one pretends anymore that the Olympics are just about sports. It's routine to talk about what effect holding the Games in this or that capital will have on the host country's international reputation, how a nation's prestige can be raised by its medal count.