am wearing stars and stripes. that's the coolest thing. >> their word, their stories, america's hope. this is a special edition of "piers morgan tonight." good evening. big story tonight, london 2012. it's hard to believe we're fewer than 50 days away from the oimp licks. for america the best athletes will be hoping to take home the gold. the nationals are taking place this very weekend. the last great contest before the games themselves. i've talked with the star in just a moment. but first let's get to preparations under way back in london. days after the jubilee, the city is working around the clock to get ready. let's start with richard quest, who is at the heart of things. richard? >> piers, barely have we got over the excitement of the jubilee and finely dried out, and now get ready for the olympics in 49 days time. 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries will be arriving in the british capital. the olympic torch is north of the border in scotland, making its way around. and when all is said, the britains will have spent the best part of $40 billion hosting the games. up now, 30 or so olympic venues making sure the city is spruced up and clean. ready for 5 million visitors. and who knows, piers, we may manage to turn our boat around. >> quite agree with you. there should be an olympic sport of turning the boats around. we would go home with the gold. america is determined to bring home the gold. if more the gymnastics team is close to do that. i've spoken to her recently. you'll see why she has a very special reason to feel pride in america. >> nastia, how are you? >> good, thank you. >> what i love about you is you come with a nice little handbag. >> i have. >> and when i asked what you have inside it, you said your medals. prove it. >> okay. >> so gold bags for the gold ones. >> yes. >> and these are all from beijing. >> yes. >> and this is a genuine olympic gold medal. i've never touched one before. >> really? >> they're quite heavy. they are heavy. especially when you have five. >> and they have your inscripti inscription. you have five of them, so yeah. what does it feel like to own olympic gold medals? >> it's surreal. this is something you've been dreaming about your entire life. ever since i knew what the word olympics met, i always knew i wanted to win a gold medal at the olympic games. now to hold it and know that it's actually mine, it's almost like, you know, 23 years is like in this one little piece of medal. and so it's a lot to take in when you're just sitting there looking at it, because it's very -- it's surreal to know that your dreams have come true. and you know, not many people's do. because only one person can win the olympic all around gold medal. to know i was the one in 2008 is incredible. >> here's the weird thing about you, which i want to explore. because i'm just a humble brit. trying to get the american olympic squad. here you are. you're called nastia liukin. you're born in moscow. both your parents are russian and both competed for the soviet union. why are you representing america, and why are you speaking in this lovely american acce accent? why are you not speaking like this and representing russia? >> well, we moved to the united states when i was 2 1/2 years old. my parents, after they finished their competitive career in gymnastics, their dream was to open up a gymnastic school and coach gymnasts and onto world championships and olympic games. and they knew that back at the the time in 1989, 1990, that wasn't really possible in russia. and so they knew they wanted to move to the united states to hopefully get the doesn't to be able to create a gymnastics school. so that's kind of what they did. they packed a few suitcases, not much money, just a toddler, me, and got on a plane and just went after their dreams. >> where did you start in america? >> new orleans, out of all places. and it was the week of mardi gras when we moved. it was crazy. i was 2 1/2 years old. my parents didn't know a lick of english. here with we are in the middle of mardi gras. they're like, oh my gosh. what have we done? where have we moved? things were okay. we stayed for a year and moved to dallas. >> you look for all intensive purposes like a classic dallas girl. >> i do? >> yeah. >> do i take that as a compliment? >> yes, i love girls in dallas. it's strange to me. did you ever feel like going back to russia? do you go back to russia? >> we do. i used to try to go back once a year. i have grand parents that still live there. my mom is back today. she got there to visit. now because i'm in intensive training i can't hop on a plane and cross the country, but the last time i was there was three years ago. >> and how does your grandmother feel about you representing america? >> um, i think they're okay with it. you know, they travel back and forth quite a bit, too. and you know, hopefully they'll move over here eventually. but, you know, they've been so supportive of ate all. and with my parents, and i think they were very nervous when my mom -- she's the only child, and i'm the only child. so when my mom left russia and her parents, she lived with her parents until she got married. and i think that they were very nervous moving there. >> it's an incredible thing for your mom to have done and your dad. and yet they must now be so proud of you to have come to this country with nothing. not even the ability to speak the language. and to have this little tiny shrimp that goes onto win an olympic gold medal for their adopted country. an amazing thing. how did they feel when you won the gold? >> my mom wasn't there. she was out walking the streets of beijing. she gets too nervous watching. she went to some chinese temple. i tried to call her as soon as i knew. she turned the phone on silent. so she was ignoring my calls. i texted her and said, hi mom. i won, period. love you. that's how she found out. she rushed back over to the arena to make it in time nor the medal ceremonies. i've never really seen my dad cry. and the one time i saw him have tears in his eyes is when i was getting the gold medal and the flag was coming up and the national anthem. and i think there was just so many years of not just hard work but different obstacles and injuries and things i had to overcome in being over the hill at just 18 years old. >> you were ancient. >> what am i going to be now? like a dinosaur. so so many different thoughts and feelings were going through our minds. to know it finally worked. america gets a lot of bad wrap. but america has been good to you and your neam. >> it definitely has. it's given us amazing opportunities. and to have not just one, bethree gymnastic schools in the gymnastics area. and every day you walk into the gym and thankful for opportunities that this country has given us, and to be able to represent them is a huge honor to me to be able to wear the american flag on my leotard. >> do you have dual citizenship? >> i do. >> so do you consider yourself really american or both? >> you know, it's hard to answer that question. i think -- i definitely consider myself america just because i grew up here. i -- more than likely, this is my first language. i can speak fluent in russia -- >> speak to me in russia. >> what do you want me to say? >> the only russian i know is -- [ speaking russian [. which i think means i love you. [ speaking russian ] >> that means i love you. >> my wife won't be happy. i don't care. a bit more. tell me a little bit. talk in olympic speak. >> okay. [ speaking russian ] >> it's a very sexy language, isn't it? >> not knocking the way dallas people speak. >> it's funny because every time i go back to russia, they say i have an american accent speaking russian. i didn't know that was possible. thanks. but you know, it was funny growing up my parents have more of an accent. we watched like barney and sesame street together. that's how they learned english. any time we see that, it's so funny that i started going to preschool and kindergarten. they were looking over my shoulder trying to learn it with me. to see how far we've come, it's very inspiring to me. they're my parents and i look up to them. but i look up to them for more reasons than being my parent. it takes a lot to get on a plane -- >> incredible courage. >> a lot of courage. and courage is a main thing that got me to where i am today. many people said i wouldn't make the olympic team because i was too old and too injured. to have the courage. to step up and to keep going after your dreams. >> let's take a little break. i want to talk to you about the fact that you shouldn't be here. you said you weren't going to be competing. then you became the come-back kid at the grand old age of -- how old are you? >> 22. >> ridiculous. you're finished. after the break we'll discuss this. how did i get here? dumb luck? or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. i'm back with pride of america. a look at the country's olympic athletes as they prepare for london. before the break, i was talking to them last year, liukin is a remarkable young woman. who is certain to collect even more medals this summer. here's more from my interview with nastia. nastia, you shouldn't really be here. you were not going to compete in the london olympics. >> you know, there's something about the sport of gymnastics and the olympic games. so many people can explain to you what an olympics games is like. until you're there and participating, there's no greater feeling than representing your country and just competing on the biggest stage in the world. and something like the olympic games, there's so many countries involved that it doesn't matter what's going on in your country, everybody forgets about it for two weeks. people have their countries on the back and just know that everybody is there for that one passion. gymnastics is something i have such a huge passion for. at the end of august 2012 looking back, i didn't want any regrets. what if? i didn't want to think what if i would have tried. what if i would have given it my all and could i have made another olympic team? could i have won another gold medal? could i help team usa win a gold medal? >> do you think you can win gold? >> i think so. i don't think i would be doing it if i didn't think that way. my dad is a perfectionist. it's the way i live my life in and out of gymnastics. even in school. nothing was acceptable besides all a's in school. that was the way i was raised. i believe in this. i believe i can do this. the odds may not be in my favor. i want to show everyone you can still compete when you're 22 years old. >> if you win gold at this olympics and achieve the last remaining great ambition for you, what then? would you consider completely retiring? would you like to continue in another form? >> i was thinking i would retire until my dad, who coaches me still, said maybe you should compete at another world championships and do another year. that thought never entered my mind until he said that. i don't know really. i don't know what tu next few months will bring me. i don't know what the olympics will bring me. i do want to go to school. i'm hoping to go to nyu in january. i've put that on hold for about five years now. education has always been very important to my family. so no matter what your accomplishments are in the sport of gymnastics, i believe that bl get you pretty far with an education. i know that i'll be involved in the sport for the rest of my life. hopefully creating a show or tour or summer camp. i'm not sure i would coach. leave it to my dad. >> he's obviously pretty good, your dad. >> he is. apparently so. >> living proof. >> yeah, living proof. >> what do you think it takes to be an olympic champion? >> it takes a lot of hard work. a lot of discipline. a lot of courage. motivation. and it's very hard to find that sometimes. especially on the days when you don't want to get out of bed. but i never took a single holiday off. i was the only one in the gym with my dad on christmas day, new year's eve. >> do you feel like you've missed out on the youth. when you see them going out and having a good time, there must be moments when you wish you could go get wrecked tonight. maybe there are not. >> i never felt those moments are worth it to me. nothing can compare to that moment. not a single night of going out. not a single night of hanging out with your friends. the moments like that, the people who will be there for you the rest of your life are going to understand. it's finding the people and the friends and your family will be there. but it's the friends that they support you and that they know you have to be in bed at 9:30 or 10:00 every night and can't go out on the weekends. i think it's totally worth it. >> who are your great role models. >> besides my parents, because i just feel like not just in the sport, but what they did and they are my parents. looking at it from the side and just walking into the gym every single morning at 7:30 and realizing, you know, when it's dark and just knowing they created this with their own hands. >> what do you say to young americans who maybe have gone astray. for whatever reason. bad parenting, whatever it may be. what can you say to them to try to get them to take a different path? >> i think it's really important to understand that you can achieve anything that you set your mind to. as long as you do have something in your mind, such as a goal or a dream then you can achieve it. don't ever be afraid to be told you can't do something. i learned that at a young age. so many people told me i wouldn't be strong enough or i would be too tall or too old and this or that. as long as you can tell yourself this is what i'm going to achieve, and this is what my goal is. you have to be willing to do whatever it takes. you have to work hard every single day. if it is 365 days a year for five years. whatever the circumstances are, you have to be able to do that. being scared is one of the things that can really go from one side to the other side. you have to be fearless in whatever it is you do and not just flipping on a four-inch wide beam, but taking chances and making sure you life without any regrets. >> it's been a pleasure. best of luck in my hometown. you'll have a bit of feeling. you have the icy look about you when you talk about winning. >> thank you. i hope so. fingers crossed. >> good luck. >> next, a young man from the bronx who was born to an olympian. incredible story. coming up next. a party? 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