The Heart of an Athlete
With the 2016 Summer Olympics fast approaching, all eyes will be on Rio. Many of will be transported to Brazil thanks to the magic of television.
Young athletes perform their very best to achieve that ever elusive gold medal. But in reality, all but one will fail. There is only 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze to be given in any event. Athletes are quickly forgotten if they don't make the podium.
I can remember the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, who can forget Nadia Comanche scoring a perfect 10? She broke an Olympic record at the tender age of 14, making her an overnight sensation and a household name. Bruce Jenner, made Olympic history by winning the decathlon at the same games, and every young boy wanted to emulate him, now he is known as Catlin on a reality show.
Michael Phelps literally blew his competition out of the water in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics when he won a combined 18 gold medals! This year, at the age of 30, he is going for it again!
These athletes train for hours a day, 7 days a week for most of their young lives, never getting to just relax or have fun. Michael Phelps quoted "If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren't willing to do". That says it all, not many of us are willing to sacrifice so much for a chance at a gold medal to be draped around our neck. I believe that is why we cheer so loudly and why we jump out of our chairs when we see someone perform something we can't possibly do ourselves. We are awestruck!
We all remember the winners and their stories, but what about the athletes that went home, with nothing, we don't know their names or their stories. They, are a sad reminder to the world that they are not winners. Nobody will call their names, their face won't be on a Wheaties box or their face on a Nike commercial. They will enter the world of obscurity like the rest of us.
It's heartbreaking, because all of these athletes had to sacrifice countless years of practice just like the ones waving to the crowd, listening to their National Anthem. What about their stories?
Paula Radcliffe, from Great Britain was a pre-race favourite for the Women's Marathon. The heat and an earlier leg injury prevented her from finishing the race. She sat on an embankment and began to cry, knowing her dream of a gold medal was dashed. Then, there is my favourite Lawrence Lemieux from Canada who was a sure winner in the one person dinghy event when he saw another boat that was capsized. He rescued the other 2 athletes and lost his race. The Olympic Commission was so moved, they awarded him an honorary gold medal. Derek Redmond, from Great Britain was in the 400 meter
semi finals when he pulled something in his leg, stopping him from running. He could only hop. His father ran over, and placing his arm around him, helped him to finish the remaining 250 meters to complete the race.
There are so many more stories of athletes that never won a gold medal but, they won a place in our hearts because we could sympathize with them and yes, even cry too. They are no less of an athlete, but maybe more human.
So, as you watch the Summer Olympics this year, cheer for the athletes who won, but remember the ones who didn't, because for them, this moment in time is their moment however brief, to shine in the games known as the Olympics.
Young athletes perform their very best to achieve that ever elusive gold medal. But in reality, all but one will fail. There is only 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze to be given in any event. Athletes are quickly forgotten if they don't make the podium.
I can remember the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, who can forget Nadia Comanche scoring a perfect 10? She broke an Olympic record at the tender age of 14, making her an overnight sensation and a household name. Bruce Jenner, made Olympic history by winning the decathlon at the same games, and every young boy wanted to emulate him, now he is known as Catlin on a reality show.
Michael Phelps literally blew his competition out of the water in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics when he won a combined 18 gold medals! This year, at the age of 30, he is going for it again!
These athletes train for hours a day, 7 days a week for most of their young lives, never getting to just relax or have fun. Michael Phelps quoted "If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren't willing to do". That says it all, not many of us are willing to sacrifice so much for a chance at a gold medal to be draped around our neck. I believe that is why we cheer so loudly and why we jump out of our chairs when we see someone perform something we can't possibly do ourselves. We are awestruck!
We all remember the winners and their stories, but what about the athletes that went home, with nothing, we don't know their names or their stories. They, are a sad reminder to the world that they are not winners. Nobody will call their names, their face won't be on a Wheaties box or their face on a Nike commercial. They will enter the world of obscurity like the rest of us.
It's heartbreaking, because all of these athletes had to sacrifice countless years of practice just like the ones waving to the crowd, listening to their National Anthem. What about their stories?
Paula Radcliffe, from Great Britain was a pre-race favourite for the Women's Marathon. The heat and an earlier leg injury prevented her from finishing the race. She sat on an embankment and began to cry, knowing her dream of a gold medal was dashed. Then, there is my favourite Lawrence Lemieux from Canada who was a sure winner in the one person dinghy event when he saw another boat that was capsized. He rescued the other 2 athletes and lost his race. The Olympic Commission was so moved, they awarded him an honorary gold medal. Derek Redmond, from Great Britain was in the 400 meter
semi finals when he pulled something in his leg, stopping him from running. He could only hop. His father ran over, and placing his arm around him, helped him to finish the remaining 250 meters to complete the race.
There are so many more stories of athletes that never won a gold medal but, they won a place in our hearts because we could sympathize with them and yes, even cry too. They are no less of an athlete, but maybe more human.
So, as you watch the Summer Olympics this year, cheer for the athletes who won, but remember the ones who didn't, because for them, this moment in time is their moment however brief, to shine in the games known as the Olympics.
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