I've loved watching the Olympics. My determination to watch as many events as possible made me a little bit lazy. But, what impressed me this time around - maybe it's the fact that I actually had time to watch the events, and the fact that I'm older and slightly more mature than I was in the past - wasn't necessarily the athlete's skill and the number of medals won. It was the love they had. Love for their country, their teammates, and even those they competed against. To see people from other countries go straight to the gold medal winner and give them a great big hug, or give compliments, was fantastic. To see an athlete win gold, and then immediately run to their coach, because of their gratitude for the help and support they've given. To see medal winners, when interviewed, say, "I'm just so grateful for this opportunity." "I've been so very blessed." To see them attribute their success not only on their own hard work, but their coach, their family and friends, even God. You see, the Olympics isn't just about winning.
I mean, yeah. Of course I root on USA and hope with all hope that they're going to win. I cheered on these athletes:
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. Just ask my family how invested I got into their matches. So happy they won their third gold in their third Olympics, and left undefeated.
Missy Franklin. The ridiculously talented 17 year old swimmer. She's a freakin' senior in high school and has 5 medals, four of which are gold, and has broken the world record for 200 meter backstroke. But, what's great about her isn't just her incredible talent. It's her perpetual smile, her positive attitude, and her sweet love for her teammates AND her opponents.
Michael Phelps. I mean, obviously. The guy is a beast. He's part fish. He has 22 Olympic medals. 18 being gold. I half expect him to show up in Rio in four years and win like 6 more medals, just so it's impossible for anyone to ever beat his record.
Aly Raisman. I felt like she got gypped out of a medal for the all-around. But then, she got the medals she deserved. What I admire about her was her determination. And every time I heard people talking about her, they went on about her reliability, her steadiness. And she truly cared about her teammates, and also her opponents.
The Fab 5. I didn't actually see this event. But I heard about it. And, once again, the thing that amazes me about these girls is the support they have for one another. It's fantastic that they were able to win the gold! Doing great things for themselves and for the United States. But also staying true to themselves and their teammates.
But, it wasn't just the USA I was proud of and rooting for. I was rooting for the greatness that all athletes were showing, and not just in the medals they were winning.
Jessica Ennis. Seriously. This woman. She astounds me. She won gold for Great Britain in the Heptathlon for track. The only one I saw her compete in was the 800 meter. It was the last event for the heptathlon, so she - and the other athletes - had done 6 other events that day. They were exhausted. She was in the running for the gold. In fact, the person who was in place for silver at that point would have to beat her by 12 seconds in the 800 in order to beat her out for gold. She was pretty much assured a medal. One the race started, she quickly took the lead, and very easily kept it. the one in the running for silver was in the back of the group. Ennis was practically given a gold medal before the race was finished. But then. The last curve and last straight of the race, she started booking it. She sprinted like her life depended on it. She was exhausted, mind you. Remember, she had done 6 other events. But she pushed herself. To be the very best she could be. The crowd roared as she pulled ahead of the group and won the race with a ridiculous lead. She ran that race, not for herself, not for winning the gold, but for her country, for the people of Great Britain. THAT'S what the Olympics is about, my friends. She ran her best to the very end. She persevered, endured to the end, and did her utmost and very best. She had the gold in the bag halfway through the race, yet she pushed herself, because she was running for her country. I don't care that she's from Great Britain. I was cheering her on. She astounded me. I'm not going to lie. I would love to meet her. To walk up to her, shake her hand, and say, "Thank you for reminding me what the Olympics is about. You were fantastic."
I actually have no clue about this woman. But, she was form Saudi Arabia. This Olympics was the first time women were allowed to compete from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and I think a few other countries. That is just...amazing. Did you know that every participating country had women competing this Olympics? That's the first time that has happened. That is such a wonderful breakthrough! This is also what the Olympics is about.
Oscar Pistorius. The first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. I don't think he actually won any medals. But it is amazing that he was able to compete. His courage and determination to make it to the Olympics. This is also what the Olympics is about.
Kirani James. He won gold in the men's 400 meter. He won the first gold medal for his country, Grenado. How fantastic is that? At 19 years old, he made history for his country. They did a little segment on him. Even at just 19 years old, he's become something like an ambassador for his country. He's bringing his country money, he's helping the people there. He's making a difference for his small country, and he's doing it with such grace and love. After he won the 400, he traded his name bib thingy with Oscar Pistorius who ran it with him, but got last place. What a wonderful gesture! Oscar may have gotten last place, yet Kirani showed that it didn't matter, because Oscar left his mark and was truly great. This is also what the Olympics is all about.
I know this is incredibly long. If you have read all the way through, way to be a trooper! You deserve a cookie. But don't expect one from me...I love the Olympics. They have taught me a lot this time around. The greatness that is shown by mankind at these games is...I just don't have words for it. Often times, we look at the world and see the doom and gloom, the evil and the destruction, and I think we often see men as horrible, evil , and think that it seems hopeless for us. But then I look at the athletes of these games. Yeah, you have the ones that cheat, who are rude, and do not have the spirit of the Games. But you also have the Missy Franklins, the Jessica Ennis's, and the Kirani James's of the world. There is goodness. There is greatness. There is love. Even while competing, these people and many others have proved this to be true. I'm proud of the Olympic athletes of 2012.
I hope you enjoyed the Olympics as much as me! I can't wait for the winter games in two years. Hopefully they will be just as great.
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