ContinueAsk Candace Parker if she is happy to settle for one Olympic gold medal and the 26-year-old star of US women's basketball is quick to put you straight.
"Something Michael Jordan once said has always stuck with me," she said, as she made final preparations before leaving for England this week to play for the USA against the GB team in Manchester next Wednesday.
"He said that a lot of people have won one world championship, or even one Olympic gold medal, but to be a great sportsman or woman you need to win it again, and again."
"Well, I agree with this sentiment. Winning gold in Beijing was the highlight of my career so far, but backing it up in London would be just as good, if not better. I'd be very, very disappointed if I fail to achieve this goal."
It would, to say the least, be an upset when you consider that the American women's basketball team have struck gold at the Olympics for the past four successive Games, including in 2008 in China when Parker played her part in her country becoming Olympic champions, and it is the country part of that achievement that makes it so special for the St Louis-born, Los Angeles Sparks WNBA player.
"When you play in the WNBA or in Europe you can pick your teammates from wherever but when playing at the Olympics you're honoured to be one of the best twelve in the US and given the opportunity to represent your country and try and achieve great sporting feats on behalf of America. Now that is a very special feeling and that's why the Olympics is the number one competition in my career."
Strangely for one much travelled - Parker plays for Ekaterinburg in Russia when out of WNBA season - she has never visited London before and is looking forward to catching a few sights and some other Olympic events, although this is secondary to her main goals for the trip.
"I'm not expecting to have too much time off and I'd like to see some of the swimming and track and field events, but I'd also love to see the usual sights in London such as Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. The thing that will make me happiest, though, is another gold medal. We'll be expected to turn up and win, but it's never as simple as that.
"I'm expecting some tough challenges ahead from the likes of the Czech Republic, Brazil, Australia, Russia and even Turkey but our preparation's gone well and now we have to execute what we've put into place."
Before all that comes the small matter of facing Great Britain, a team that's a bit of an unknown quantity for the WNBA star. "I don't know too much about them and really it's more about what we can do right in the game rather than worrying too much about them. We intend to treat it like an Olympic match so there will be no letting off or holding back. Besides, the British will be both competitive and highly motivated in front of their home crowd."
Parker will discover both in Manchester and London that she can walk down the street and be unrecognised. This is not entirely the case in America. "Certainly not in the south where I played college basketball," she said. "It's a bit different living in Los Angeles, as I do now, because half the people there are famous so I just blend into the crowd."
Basketball is clearly in Candace's blood. Her father, Larry, played college basketball whilst her brother, Anthony, played in the NBA for both Toronto and Cleveland. At 6ft 4in it was evident that Candace would follow suit. "Dad played for the University of Iowa and I've been watching Anthony play for the past 15 years so, in that time, I've picked up a lot," she explained. "They also try and watch as many of my games as they can and always, afterwards, they provide great advice on what I did right, and what I did wrong. I'm still learning."
Maybe, but she's good enough to be one of the stars of the WNBA and the US Olympic team and if she and her American teammates fulfil their obvious potential, first by beating Great Britain next week and then by taking the Olympic title Candace will join the ranks of superstar Olympians who have more than one gold medal to her name.
It seems, though, that there will be little time to celebrate. "I'm straight back to the States for the WNBA Championships," she explained. "And I hope to be taking that gold back with me."
Great Britain women play the USA at the Manchester Arena on July 18. For tickets visit http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/ or call +44 (0)844 847 8000
