you can have. >> the games, the glory, the pride of america. this is a "piers morgan tonight" fourth of july special. good evening. and happy fourth of july. what better way to celebrate america's independence than by honoring the country's independent athletes. in just a few weeks they will be on the world stage in london competing for gold with billions watching. in the next hour, we'll hear their stories in their own words. it's revealing, moving, surprising and inspiring. we begin with allison felix, one fastest women in the world. she's winning headlines with the way she made it to the olympic team. allyson felix and jennifer were tied and were going to have a runoff until jennifer pulled out. how are you feeling? >> i just can't wait. >> is it like being a racehorse. is everything so finely tuned? all geared up for an explosive new moments? >> it is. you do all this training for 21 seconds. it's very quick. >> i want to take you back to probably the worst moment of your life. 2008, beijing olympics, up against your old enemy from jamaica. i don't want to say it because it hurts too much. you ran 21.93. she ran 21.74. 0.17 of a second. how many times have you relived that 0.17 of a second? >> i feel every day since then. i'm always thinking about it at practice. i don't want to get that thought out of my head because it does motivate me. but it's tough. >> you've won a gold in the relay. you've won all the world titles and won everything else. but in the end, the 200 meters is your thing. and you've got this incredible rival who keeps beating you when it really matters. this is it, isn't it? london olympics, you're at the peak of your power. you've got to win this. >> i've got to win. that's what it's all about. like you said, i've done this other stuff. this is the one missing thing pit's what i really want. i need everything to come together at the right type. >> tell me about the drive and the hunger that it takes to be a real olympic champion. >> it's something i feel like i was born with. i'm just competitive. it doesn't matter what it is. that carries over to the track. i'm determined. so having these silver medals, i'm thinking about it and it drives many e. i want that gold. >> what are the sacrifices? what are you not allowed to do? >> you have to cut down on all your social activities. even family things. everything is so structured. you're training, you're trying to eat right and get your rest. that's very important. >> no dougnuts. >> well, i have a problem with those thing. i like to splurge every now and then. >> even in your height of training, are you allowed to have binge eating days? >> yes, you are. we're regular people, too. for me, i have to reward myself. i love powered sugar doughnuts and ice cream. >> you said you like chicken nuggets. >> i love ben and jerry's oatmeal cookie chunk and often i'm going back to it. >> is it true there's like this group wide sex ban on the entire american team before the olympics. >> i didn't know about that. >> essentially none of you are allowed to do anything like that. >> well, the village is a happening place. i don't know if anyone over there heard about that. >> so it's completely rubbish. >> i never heard about it but i'm very focused. >> you are a god faring young lady. >> i am. >> you believe the power of prayer drives you to great heights. when you kneel down to go for that gold, which is going to be a combination of probably your entire sprinting career this moment, because i know it means more to you than anything else. when you're kneeling down, what are you going to be saying? who are you thinking of? >> i'm praying to god. and of course, i want to win. but it's more about, you know, i want top represent him well. i want to run for his glory. if that means me not winning, then i want to be able to handle that and handle it with grace. it's all of those things. >> you feel nervous? do you feel excited in that moment? how are you going to be feeling? >> mixed emotions. >> wet. it will be raining in london. >> it always is. i'll be nervous. of course, i'm always nervous. it will be weird if i wasn't. but excited. i waited now eight years for another chance at a gold medal. so i'm twice silver. and it's tough. it's tough waiting. so i can't wait for that moment again. >> when you're on the podium, you won the gold for the relay, are you still thinking this is great, but it's not the same? >> it's not the same. you have those feelings. you feel kind of bad about it. you have this gold medal around your neck and you're is grateful, you know, but you want an individual medal. you want to do it by yourself. >> who's been the greatest inspiration to you? personally and professionally? >> personally, my family. they made sacrifices, the whole deal so i could have success. the hard-working people. i just love them. they'll love me just the same if i don't win. professionally, jackie joyner-kersey. she's phenomenal. a phenomenal athlete, but just a great person. >> is she the one with the nails? >> she has nails in her family. her sister. gail did. her whole little crew. they were fashionable. >> i remember them having big nails. >> they were into the nails and the fashion of them all. >> you're glamorous. >> thank you. >> not all sprinters scrub up like you. i would imagine for the sponsors and all of it, they're desperate for you to win? >> we all are. i'm just in it as they are. so yeah. >> you think about that? you think about the commercial benefit to winning the gold? >> definitely. it's my career and i want to take advantage of as much as i can. it's just about everything coming together at the right time. so i hope that it will. >> got a man in your life. >> i do, i got a man. >> is he for the long-term or is he for the sprint? >> i hope he's for the long term. he unls what is i do and he's pretty cool about it. >> what does he do? >> he's done a little running. but he's transitioning out of it and getting ready for the next phase of his life. >> wedding bells? >> i don't know. after the 200 final, we'll talk about it. >> are you more or less likely to win him if you win gold? >> i'm going to be in such a good mood, that's when he should ask me. >> i would choose the moment 10 seconds after he won. you would do anything, wouldn't you? >> i bet we would. >> let's take a break. i want to come back and talk to you about drugs in sport. i know you've got strong feelings about this. and i recently interviewed marion jones. i'm keith baraka and i'm a fire fighter. it's an honor to be a fire fighter. my job involves life or death situations and it's very physically demanding. if i'm sore, i have a headache, i'm not at my best. advil® is my go to. it's my number one pain reliever. advil® just works for me. [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil®. and if pain keeps you up, sleep better with advil pm®. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ and the next great idea could be yours. hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. ♪ ( whirring and crackling sounds ) man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, by building on the cisco intelligent network. >> and so it is with a great amount of shame that i stand before you and tell you that i have betrayed your trust. i want you to know that i have been dishonest. and you have the right to be angry with me. >> marion jones stripped of her gold medals in 2007. we're back now with olympic champion allyson felix. what do you think when you see someone so brilliant like marion jones at your discipline and then just get exposed as a cheat and sees her world collapse? when you think of her story what do you think of it? >> it's disappointing, especially for me. when i got into traffic and field, she was everywhere. i was high school when she was in the 2000 games. she was my idol. so to see that video, it just brings back emotions. it was devastating for me. i just adored her. >> do you have any sympathy for her? >> it's very hard for me to have sympathy, i don't know. just because i know what it takes, the training, the dedication. and she was just so talented, she didn't need it. >> that's the point i made to her. when i interviewed her recently, said you would have won anyway. you were so much better than the rest of the field. she knew. i got the feeling she knew she had made a catastrophic mistake for no reason. >> i'm sure. >> which is ten times worse>> it's hard. she's always been so talented. maybe she shouldn't have gotten all of those medals, but she would have gotten some of them. >> how prevalent are drugs today in sprinting? because there was a period when you just assumed that everybody was on it. >> hopefully it's not as bad as it has been in the past, but to be honest, it's still around. >> do you have suspicions about some of your rivals? >> well, of course. yeah. i think that's the tough thing about track & field is when you watch it, there's some things that are very obvious. >> like what? >> like your body changing. running times that are -- having huge drops in times. those are things that aren't natural. when there's a progression like that, it's -- it raises some suspicion. i think it's, you know, it's only natural. >> when you line up for the 200 meter final, how many people in that race could be cheats? >> wow, that's a tough question. i don't -- >> the worst of your suspicions. >> i think there could be a few. >> how does that make you feel? >> it's hard. it's frustrating. >> what if one of these cheats runs through and beats you. >> i don't know how i would handle that, you know? but the hard part is suspicion. and i would hate to accuse someone who's working just as hard as me. it's a fine balance. but in the end you have to have peace for yourself and be doing it for yourself. >> have you ever been tempted? you must be awash with people trying to force illegal drugs on athletes. >> you know what, i haven't. i think it's part of my upbringing, that's part of the reason. and even the marion jones story. i idolized her .i know how it felt when it came out that she was cheating. i would never want to put someone in that situation, ever. and then i also don't let track define me. i love this sport but i'm not willing to risk my life, i'm not willing to risk anything else, you know, just to win. >> good for you. >> thank you. >> let's turn to happier things, your dog. tell me about your dog. >> i have a dog, her name is chloe. >> you communicate by skype. how does that work with a dog? >> she's smart, i tell you. >> when i travel, she stays with my mom. she puts her up on the camera. she just has a great time. >> good luck in the olympics. the. it's going to be a huge moment for you, isn't it? >> it is, yeah. >> how are you going to feel flying the flag for america at some a big moment? >> so proud. it's an honor. when i put on that jersey, there's nothing like it. i don't want to make everyone at home proud. i want to do that. >> do you feel collectively, the american athletes have a chance to put america right on top of the map again. america has had a rough ride recently. maybe not stand up and beat your chest and show the chinese who's raem bos? >> definitely. it's an opportunity. we're so proud and excited and so ready for this moment. >> if you win, what's the plan after that once you achieved your great aim? >> oh, my gosh, i have no plan. i just want to win. i have a degree in elementary education. i would love to get in the classroom. just be around kids and do something with hem. that's something i'm passionate about. >> you're involved in project believe. >> you commit yourself for more testing, more blood work. just to show you're a complete athlete. if i can step up and say i'm going to go beyond what's required, that's something that's important to me. >> is that the way to tack this will? >> i think it's tough. situations like marion, she never failed a drug test. but i think it's the step in the right direction. you're saying that you would go above and beyond. i think right now, that's a positive thing. >> if i was running, i would just test every athlete every day. it would be part of their daily routine, getting up, having their oatmeal, have a bit of truth, take their little test. that would root it out, wouldn't it? >> you would have to be a very rich man. but i think you have that covered. >> best of luck for it. we're willing you for victory because there's no brit that can beat you. >> i'm safe. >> so that is my criteria. one thing that strikes me about you, it's very interesting. i interview lots of people on the show, very few have exuded the confidence that you have. >> thank you. >> are all athletes like that? do you have to have that streak of confidence? >> i think it's part of it. you have to know you can go toe to toe with the person next to you. you also do all this training. so you better be confident. >> is there a message there for americans who have been going through a rough time? a lot of this comes from self-discipline, from hard work, from clean living. you know, there is an argument to say if more people behave like athletes in their lives, america would be an n a pretty good position. >> i think that's a good point. it's a journey, there's ups and downs. i think my career is testimony to that. it's not always going to be great. you're going to have slumps. but if you continue on what you've always been doing and working hard, hopefully things will come around. >> aye got two hands here. one has a check for $10 million and one has the olympic gold medal for the 200 meters, you can have at the end of the race. you want both? >> i can't. >> which one are you going to take? >> i'm taking the gold. >> best of luck. >> thank you. >> allyson felix. see you in london. next up, a man from the bronx who was born to be an olympian. r we're celebrating the fourth of july with the pride of america. john orozco's road to london came from a tough childhood and a family trying to make ends meet in the bronx. he's an extraordinary young man. you've been described as a 5'4" power ball. >> wow. that's nice. >> is that true? >> i guess, yeah. >> is that how you see yourself? >> i see myself as a normal 19-year-old kid. >> who just happens to be a gold medal contending power ball? >> yeah, i guess. >> when you say normal, one of your coaches said about you, i have never seen any athlete with so much raw talent. john is like the michael jordan and lebron james of gymnastics, he's is that good. >> i never thought anyone would compare me to those two great athletes in the sport that they represent. you know, i'm just -- i'm just trying to follow my dream and do what i love to do. >> let's go back to the bronx, where you're from in new york. not the best place in the world to grow up. everyone would agree with that. yet it's produced many outstanding people. tell me about your early life in the bronx. what was it like? >> growing up in the bronx, especially as a gymnast, not easy. i got teased a lot as a kid. you know, a lot of back handed jokes a lot of negativity thrown at me as a kid. >> what would be being a gymnast mean in the bron snx what would they tease you about? what would they say to you? >> they would say a gymnast? what are you gay? that's nice, you go around flipping like a cheerleader? what is that going to do. >> not masculine? >> no. definitely not the masculine thing to be into. >> and yet the irony of what you do, it's one of the toughest disciplines of physical strength in world sport. >> it's just that they didn't understand what it took to be a gymnast, to be a world class gymnast. they didn't understand. and i knew that. that's why i wouldn't get mad. i would just simply say okay, i can throw a baseball, i can shoot a basketball, kick a soccer ball. let's see you do a back handspring. and their eyes would be like what? i said now you understand because it's just that they can't relate. it's not something that everyone can just go in the gym, do double flip, double twist and stick. >> i watch it and i can't imagine why anybody would want to do. the strength, danger, all of it. you guys are crazy. >> it is a little odd. >> why gymnastics? was it something you saw on television? was there somebody out there that you idolized? why gymnastics? >> i took gymnastics because it's one of the most challenging sports in the world and that's what i love about it. it's such a great challenge. and i remember ach watching the 2000 olympic games and seeing the gymnastics team compete and remembering, i want to do that one day. you know? i remember sitting with my family and thinking wow, that's -- this is the greatest thing i've ever seen, you know? and then my dad got me into it when i was 8 years old. he works for the department of sanitation. so he came in -- he was on the job one day in the city, he picked up a flyer for free gymnastics tryouts in the nearby gymnasium in the city. so he brought it home. i was already in tae kwon do competing and stuff. he brought it home, discussed it with my mother over dinner. the next day he brought me into the gym. i remember before i got into is the gym, i could hear the noises, the bar squeaking, people landing on their feet on the maps and just loud slamming noises. i got so excited walking in. >> you just knew. >> i just knew. i felt it. i knew it was happening, and my dad spoke to the owner. and i was 8 years old. the gym class was supposed to be for 9 years old and up. he said i'm sorry, we can't have your son trite out. he's not old enough. he said come onner please. everywhere i go, he's trying to do hand stands. he said give me a chance. so he gave me that chance and i'm so sgrafl that he did because that's the moment i knew i loved this sport. >> so your parents were very dedicated to you. your mom used to drive you often for a three-commute from the bronx, one of the roughest parts of new york to west chester, the posh end. which is two completely different worlds. >> yeah, it is. >> how did unfortunate when you were in the transit for three hours? you're going from one place to somewhere completely different. >> yeah. i'm glad i got to train in westchester. the bronx is my home, it's where i live. i feel comfortable. >> what are some good things about the bronx. it gets a bad rap. what are the good parts of you that you think come from being a bronx guy? >> look at my parents. they crazed me f-- raised me to the man i am now. it's not so bad. my neighborhood is by the bronx river by the water. i can see manhattan across the river actually. it's only as bad as you make it ute to be. and going from there to west chester is a lot different. people are different, but i saw them all as people. i treat everyone with respect, treat everyone the same. >> did you get into fights as a kid in the bronx? did everyone have to fight? >> no. it's not a boxing match every time you walk out of your house. but we did -- it was a sad day. we were actually coming from my brother's confirmation at church on sunday and my brother, one of my older brothers his name is emanuel. and we got into a little spif going home and it spiralled out of control so quickly. i don't even really remember it. but we were going home one day that day and we -- it started out as an arguen't and it got into a physical altercatio