It was never about winning medals or being famous.

Taken at face value, the line frames athletic ambition as intrinsically motivated: the speaker values the craft, discipline, and personal meaning of the pursuit over external rewards such as medals or celebrity. In Kerrigan’s case, the sentiment also reads as a corrective to the media narrative that often reduces elite athletes to outcomes (podiums, endorsements, notoriety), especially amid highly publicized controversy. The quote asserts a distinction between achievement as a byproduct and purpose as the driving force, emphasizing integrity and love of the sport rather than status.