The Olympics, it's something magical.
I was proud.
I looked up at the Olympic rings.
Hey, man, this is it, you're at the Olympics right now, see?
It's now.
You worked all your life for this moment.
It's so beautiful, so powerful.
I look up and I see the whole audience looking at me
with their hands over their mouths.
And then I look down and
I see my leg looks like rubber.
And I thought,
"no, that's not true."
My father was there in Rio.
he told me my moment would come.
That whatever happened, he was proud.
This is the most beautiful advice in the world.
Believe me,
the dream of Tokyo 2020 is still alive.
For me
the moment I was walking again, training for Tokyo 2020 had started.
I love a challenge so much.
Even more when someone says,
"It's not possible."
No matter what happens,
I want that Olympic gold
and I'm going to get it.
And yeah, my father was
planning to come to the Olympics in Tokyo, that's for sure.
Fate has decided that unfortunately he can't be there.
On those last days when he was in the hospital,
in his terminal phase
he fought until the end and then
he passed away with dignity.
Throughout my childhood
until the hardest moment of his life
and our lives,
he managed to impress me.
That's powerful.
Very powerful.
My mother and my sister,
we were all three supporting each other.
My nephew, he’s my little man.
He arrived
two months after my father passed away.
Well, he also helped us
without meaning to.
You might be hurting like crazy
the earth keeps on turning.
Life goes on for those who remain.
So the goal is
to honour as much as possible the people who left
to make them proud.
On his last days,
I told him this Olympic title, I will go get it
For him, for the whole family
Selection for the Olympics happened in the World Championships.
It was my ticket to the Olympics.
If I came fourth, I couldn't qualify for the Olympics.
It was first, second or third. I had no choice.
I hope that he is proud.
We've all been hit by fate.
Of course I’ve had a lot of blows.
But my father was a fighter, and I'm a fighter.
Keep fighting,
keep fighting,
keep fighting.