It's better it happened now than at the Olympics, which we train for our whole lives. You can say I got three medals at the Olympics, but it's been a really tough year for me and this just tops it off. |
It's going to be very competitive. The last three or four laps, you have to dig down deep and show everybody how much you want it. That's a big advantage for me. The last three or four laps, I'm going to hunker down and use my will to win. |
It's just going to be first 200 meters that determines the race for me. |
It's such a difficult thing to do. I'm trying not to worry about the pressure of it. |
Its great to come back after the Olympics and see all the people from home that have supported me. It's great to be able to share all the memories and help support a great cause like this. |
Let me tell you, we've never been buddies. We've been acquaintances but it's never been more than that. So for people to think there's a big problem, it was crazy. |
My heart is bigger than anybody else out there. If another skater had felt like I did today, he wouldn't have been on the podium. That's just me refusing to lose. |
Now I'm just really confident that the other races coming up are going to be just as good. It's a great start. |
People were acting like we were friends before we got here. We never talked that much as friends before we got here. We're competitors. That's what it comes down to. |
Right here. My heart's bigger than anyone else out there. |
Something like this isn't what motivates me. As soon as I get on the ice, it's business. I'm not out here playing around. |
Speculation of doing what Eric did, I would like to downplay that a little bit. |
That 1,000 took a lot of power out of my legs. I didn't know how much it took out of me. I wasn't focused like I usually am. |
That's the way I put pressure on myself. It makes me more nervous, and the more nervous I am, the more adrenaline I have pumping through my body. |
The 1,000-meters and 1,500-meters took a lot of snap out of my legs. And I just didn't feel like myself. That's part of the deal whenever you pick five different events and try to go for something spectacular. You end up sacrificing some time in different events. |