Medal Quotations

While starving refugees in Homs were providing target practice for government snipers, Bashar al-Assad's strongest international backer was in Sochi, at the Iceberg Skating Palace, visibly moved, smiling with deep satisfaction, as the Russians beautifully glided and leaped their way to the gold medal in the team event.

I always feel I had a very lucky life. For example, I sure didn't want to go in the army: when I was drafted in the Korean War, I wanted to go as a photographer. But luckily, they put me in the infantry - luckily because the official photographer was photographing the medal awarding and all the official situations.

At the age of nine, I could cross the length of Glasgow on a succession of buses, wearing regulation garter-topped stockings and compulsory cap and - if I'd done well enough to earn the honour in last week's test - with a First World War medal on a striped ribbon pinned to my brown blazer. I must have looked like a chocolate soldier.

On no further occasion present a flag or medal to an Indian.

Maybe there's a little girl who thinks she can be an Olympic athlete, and she sees all the things I struggled through to get here. Yeah, I didn't walk away with a medal or run away with a medal, but I think there's lessons to be learned when you win and lessons to be learned when you lose.

I haven't let the gold medal out of my sight; it sleeps next to me in bed.

From Clara Barton's tireless work founding the American Red Cross to the first female Medal of Honor winner, Dr. Mary Walker, to our first female combat fighter pilot Lt. Kara Hultgreen, no list of American heroes is complete without the names of some of these extraordinary women.

Everybody has to deal with tough times. A gold medal doesn't make you immune to that. A skater is used to falling down and getting up again.

Americans have a profound longing for heroes - now perhaps more than ever. We need our explorers, our sports icons, our Medal of Freedom winners, our Nobel laureates. We need our Greatest Generation warriors, our 'Sully' Sullenbergers, our Neil Armstrongs. On some level, we still subscribe to the myth of the man in the white hat.

Standing on the podium at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and receiving a gold medal was the crowning jewel in a successful gymnastics career and, most certainly, the confirmation that my parents' sacrifices were not in vain.

When you win the Olympics, you hope that the medal that you get, that weight makes it feel like you really earned something.

After I won the Newbery Medal for 'From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,' children all over the world let me know that they liked books that take them to unusual places where they meet unusual people.

It's an amazing thing to hear they're finally giving out a Medal of Honor to a soldier from the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I never believed that India could win a medal in badminton because the competition is so tough.

The Olympic Gold medal in 1968 was definitely the highest moment of my career. It was a dream come true. I was a 19-year-old boy, and it was just amazing to be standing on top of the podium and hearing the National Anthem in the background.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't bless myself with holy water and then get in my car and rub the medal of the Virgin Mary that she gave me and say a Hail Mary for my mother. And then I kiss her Mass card that's right there on the dashboard.

Most coaches would consider leading a team to an Olympic gold medal a capper for a pretty good year. The same goes for winning an NCAA national championship. Or a FIBA world championship. Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke Blue Devils and Team USA, led teams to each of these honors... within about 24 months.

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.

I wasn't really expecting me to win the gold in this race. To get another medal for myself and for the U.S. was a pretty good thing to happen, I'd say.

When you've won a gold medal and you're at the top of your sport, everyone's trying to beat you. I find that incredibly motivating.

I would love very much to win a medal at the Olympics for myself, by my own performance. But that will never happen.

An Olympic gold medal is something that almost seems like a fantasy. Yes, of course I want it, since I was a little kid, before I even knew what the World Cup tour was.

Now that I have an Olympic medal in my room, it makes me hungry for another and a different color one.

I wasn't expecting two seconds of me on the medal stand to go viral after the Olympics. I came back to my room after the medal ceremony, and my dad said this picture of me doing a face I don't even remember making is blowing up.

In 1962, my injury wasn't because of violence; I just kicked the ball and it happened. And that was OK because Brazil won; I didn't have any difficulty in accepting that. I still got a medal because I'd played two games.

I've been dreaming of winning gold medal in the Olympics.

Adding an Olympic medal to everything that I have already accomplished would be so huge for me.

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.

When I was in school, sport was given utmost importance. I think it's fantastic for character building, for team playing, and I think it's a great profile for a nation. One in every six people on Earth is an Indian, and I look forward to the day when we can compete with the heavyweights of the sporting world and do well in the medal tally.

I wanted to win the gold medal and then go home and further my education in college. I had no intentions whatsoever to become a professional fighter because I had heard horror stories about former boxers who made money but, in the end, ended up with nothing. I didn't want to be one of those guys.

To make America the greatest is my goal, so I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole. And for the U.S.A. won the medal of gold. The Greeks said, 'You're better than the Cassius of old.'

I'm not trying to get five medals. I'm not trying to be Michael Phelps.

Tomorrow will be my last two bobsled runs. I'm not getting any younger, and I don't think I'll be able to get it done in Vancouver when I'm 40. I have a medal but none of those guys do. I really, really wanted to get it done for those guys. They deserve a medal.

Usually I have a problem with my skis or with my mind. My biggest wish was to get the gold medal in the 10K classical. I got it. It's mine!

worn in gold medal game against Brazil 2-1.

World records are there to be broken. I see the ultimate as the Olympic gold medal and I have got that.

We really feel this medal belongs to a lot of people who have come before us and who have put in years and years of dedication. We definitely wouldn't be here without those people. They've been building the sport in the U.S. for years.

There is no doubt that after the great success you have achieved in Athens last year during the Olympic Games, and with the preparations that you have now for the National Games, I would not be surprised if China would lead the medal count in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

This win is for him. Winning the gold medal is a great feeling because we are a great team and we believe in each other.

She's going in as gold medal favorite and as I see it, she's going to come away with it in front of a home crowd.

She could've played this match, and wanted to play, but we need her to be as close to 100 per cent as she can be for the gold medal game.

She also won the gold medal in the Super Quiz and essay components. I've done essay judging since I began serving as coordinator in 2000, and Emma's essay was one of the best I've seen.

She is ready for a medal run this year and she has some time to prepare. She certainly has that potential and I know she feels like she can improve on her throw from today.

My lip will hurt but the gold medal is there forever.

Of course, I want to win a second gold medal in my own country, ... In order to achieve that, I will have to make the effort. I will not only talk about it, but have my deeds speak for themselves. I will grab whatever chance I get.

One thing that is too bad about the United States is that we get so caught up in the medal count.

My goal by my senior year is to win at least one gold medal for Leavenworth High School. Maybe we can leave our own little mark here.

Obviously, everybody's living in this moment right now and it's awesome. It would be nice to bring the gold medal back to our country and our fans. We haven't done it before and it would be something very special for them and us, too. You have to enjoy this time.

Nobody strikes a medal for the Royal Military Canal campaign any more, but a pint in the back bar of the ancient Mermaid Inn, perched in front of one of the biggest and oldest inglenooks you're ever likely to see, is its own reward.

Richard's just upset with me because I made the (NBA) All-Star Game, and he got a brown (bronze) medal in the Olympics,

I was so proud of them. They came out and played really hard (in the bronze medal game). They said, 'Hey, we deserve to go out on a big note.' A lot of teams might have (given up) but they didn't let that happen.

I wish we could bring home some hardware, but you have to look deeper than that. You can have one medal and the rest be a disaster and people would say you're doing good. But I like where we're headed.

I guess I got greedy after the 3,000. I knew I had the ability to be there and I thought another medal might be in the mix and I didn't run nearly as well. We ran as a pack for about 13 kilometers and then, basically, I just ran out of gas. I ran right out of steam and hung on from that point. My time was about a minute slower then I had run last fall.

I got to put on the red, white and blue. I got to represent the greatest nation on earth. That is a fantastic thing. And I happened to be able to win a medal along with it.

I have enjoyed a fabulous career and hope to end it on a real high by winning another medal in Athens,

I did not win a medal but I have shown that I can still compete with these younger guys.

I did not want to meet my queen in a wheelchair. I was on two canes, and I managed to follow the protocol, two steps back, curtsy, two steps forward, curtsy again. The queen pinned the medal on and was concerned about how I was recovering. It was a wonderful honor I will never forget.

I don't even know what I was thinking. I just threw all my stuff up and skated around on the ice. When I got the gold medal around my neck, it was hard to hold back your tears.

I always wanted to be on the Olympic medal dias. It's a great feeling. It's a reward for all the hard work I have done, I don't think I will have any sleep tonight.

I am so proud of this team and to be in the gold medal game. This team has a big heart. We played our hearts out. It is awesome.

Certainly Jana was extremely disappointed for the England girls and would have preferred to have won the gold medal fair and square.

I looked up and gave them a fist because they worked as hard as I did for this. I appreciate everything they've ever done for me. I love them so much. I gave my little brother (Chase, 10) my district medal and he was so excited. I told him he won it too, because it was definitely a family effort.

I had trouble finding my next goal after winning a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics, but the interest of the public and my fans in me got even bigger. I wanted to get away from the pressure, even for a single day.

I felt a mixture of emotions. I was obviously disappointed about not playing in the final game, but a medal is a medal and our team worked hard for it. So, I'm happy about that.

If I really thought about it, in a way it's depressing. To work thousands of hours for three-tenths of a second. But in track terms, it's an eternity ... all the hard work pays off. In Finland, (winning a silver medal at the 2004 World Outdoor Championships) made it all worthwhile.

I don't think we've fully experienced all the emotions yet. This was the most challenging performance just because of the pressure. But coming away with the medal makes it all worth it. I know for a fact it won't take another 30 years (for the U.S to get another).

I don't think it will kick in until we have to come to practice and we're not playing in the gold medal game.

For Todd to finish where he did shows what a great driver he is. If Todd had started in the first seed the results probably would have been different. He probably would of had a least a silver medal and been in a fight for the gold.

For me to walk away with a gold medal is just amazing, and the best way I can say thanks is to try to help somebody else.

I give the pilot four stars and a medal for getting that thing down on the runway in the first place. I consider that guy to be a masterful pilot; whether you practice on a simulator or not, that's just experience.

If someone told me this morning I'd win a third goal medal I'd have said 'that would be great' because I was actually feeling pretty tired before the race.

I always thought my Olympic bronze medal was the highlight of my career, ... But this is even better. I had some terrible times at the beginning of my Davis Cup career, but through the years I've learned how to deal with the pressure match after match.

I always thought my Olympic bronze medal was the highlight of my career,

He was very happy for me because Korea won the gold medal after the unfortunate incident in Salt Lake. He was very happy for me and Korea.

He says his gold medal glows, and his silver medal sparkles.

He had the bronze medal in my face all the time. And his wool jersey, because they played outside.

He is now with my sister and I have been away for too long. So this medal is for him. For my little boy.

He needs to lift weights, then basically continue to get better each day in practice. I think he's disappointed and he wants to try and get on the medal stand next year.

Helping the Opals win the gold medal is a goal of mine. That will be great for women's basketball in this country.

Today, I won the first medal for Austria. This time we are favorites.

Today is definitely a disappointment. I think this is one of our good days and we had a chance for a medal today. Things didn't really go our way and it was too much to make up on the last lap.

We've been together since May basically and sometimes it was hell and I wanted to quit hockey. Right now, having this medal around my neck, that's why I did it.

We're pretty excited about Justin. He made the medal round in a tough bracket. Of course, he wanted to finish higher, but this give him experience for next year and that is priceless.

To get a medal in a world record race is just fantastic.

Her goal is definitely to be in that championship match and to have the first place medal hanging around her neck when its done. She's actually the girl to beat in the B-C division.

He shouldn't get a medal and he shouldn't get a promotion; he should get his walking papers, ... I think it is pretty clear that he should not have been hired in the first place.

He didn't win the Stanley Cup, but I hope he wins a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

He couldn't read, and he was embarrassed, and he didn't want to tell anyone, ... He had the courage to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, but he didn't have the strength to do what each of you has done, what--each--of--you--is doing--right--here. He didn't have the courage to admit he needed help, and to find it. So I want you to know that I understand, I appreciate what you are doing here, I honor your commitment. And when people ask me, 'Jack Stanton, why are you always spending so much money and so much time and so much effort on adult literacy programs?' I tell them: Because it gives me a chance to see real courage. It inspires me to be stronger. I am so grateful you've let me visit with you today.

He just showed a lot of heart in that race the way he came back there to get second when he was pretty tired. I'm really proud of him. Now he's got one of each medal - a full house!

Knowing that I've already got one gold medal at home helps a bit with the entire situation. Skiing isn't everything in the world and a gold medal isn't everything in the world. And I'm not badly off. In fact, I'm quite happy.

I would simply ask Al Gore to take responsibility for his campaign and their actions, as well as his own words, ... When his campaign demeans a medal of honor winner like Bob Kerrey, there should be an apology from Al Gore.

Just to have the opportunity to go back to the Olympics and have another shot at a medal is a dream come true.

It being my first time representing my country, it was a special feeling getting to wear the uniform and even more exciting to achieve a medal in the games.

I think it's important for the U.S. team to break through and achieve an Olympic medal. I feel that in the team event we've had a medal ripped away from us.

It hurts me to think that someday I won?t have a medal I deserved, an Olympic run I deserved, or be in a world championship, just because I?m a woman.

It is a great experience. The two teams I coached on the men's side were some of the most exciting moments in my coaching life. Obviously winning NBA Championships and CBA Championships and being in the WNBA Finals are all highlights. But playing and coaching for your country in a gold medal game is pretty intense.

I think the boys ran pretty well, ... Most of them are at their best time or better. Kyle Terwillegar was able to medal and he also had a personal best. We?re expecting big things (from him).

I was disappointed and in a little bit of shock. I had a really hard time with a couple of jumps in the warm-up and I just couldn't get over it. I definitely didn't think I was going to get any medal at all at the end of the program, so it was a nice surprise.

I was delighted to be invited to the Dutch Consulate in Edinburgh to receive their medal from Michael Hughes, the Dutch Consul.

I think we're going to be right there at the end in the medal count. I'm definitely looking forward to being a part of this U.S. team.