“A female professional athlete has to have the whole package, as opposed to a guy who can just be good at sport. You have to have a job or go to uni or do three sports instead of one, you have to be a standout.”

“Any race I go into, I've always got the attitude of throwing myself into and wanting nothing but No. 1.”

“BMX is still a young sport in Olympic terms. So the sport science behind it is also relatively new. As a program, it's only going to get better as the sport gets bigger and more extreme.”

“I am just this small-town Canberra girl that's taken riding a little kid's bike on dirt tracks to the highest level.”

“I get called Pink quite a lot. The Pink of the Action Sport World. Or Queen of the Dirt - some call me that.”

“I just want kids to have a chance to go and try an Olympic sport. Every kid has a bike - that's how I started, and one kid coming along and giving it a go could make that journey to the Olympics.”

“I like pressure. Diamonds are made under pressure, and I definitely enjoy it.”

“I really want to win a medal and would want to win gold. It's my fire and fuel, life and dream, everything.”

“I started racing BMX when I was five years old. I followed in my brother's footsteps, and I was a little tomboy. When I came into the sport, there wasn't many women. I raced with the boys; I looked up to the boys, and all my mentors were boys.”

“I truly believe that it's all of the hard times that make you step up to the next level, and that's what makes you a champion.”

“I'd love to be able to dominate cycling in general, not just one event.”

“If I had to work a 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. job in the public service, I'd freak out.”

“I'm made to ride a bike, not do washing.”

“In BMX, you need an inner mongrel, something that's a point of difference in the female category.”

“It would be simpler going to an Olympic Games knowing you had to nail one trick that you've done a hundred times, and if you do it, you'll win. Or if you're a swimmer, if you swim a certain time, you will win. In BMX, there are no guarantees.”

“It's an honour to be a world champion, and it can never be taken away from you.”

“I've always been a bit of a daredevil, even as a little girl with a pretty high pain tolerance and things like that.”

“I've got to know my strength and weaknesses and the same for my competitors.”

“One medal. One shot. One lap. Eight riders. No lanes. No right of way. Just go.”

“The biggest thing I've learnt is not to limit myself by the norm or what I should be doing.”

“The mistakes you make and lessons you learn at a young age are what gets you to an Olympic level.”

“There were times when I was down and frustrated being in a male-dominated sport: you don't get the support. It affected me. Layne Beachley helped me beat that. That was the difference for me and helped get me through.”

“There's so many levels. You can rise on the day to win a national event or a world title but the level you need to rise to win an Olympics Games is another one altogether.”

“You can't take my batteries out; I'm always on the go.”

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

“You never hold back. If I turn up to the track and feel cautious or not committed, I turn around and go home. If you don't have that full commitment when you're pedaling into a 40-foot jump, there's not much room for error, and you'll come off worse.”