Quest for Olympic glory

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are over and the Olympians are now hailed as returning heroes by the countries they represented and by the world for their superhuman accomplishments in the various fields of athletic endeavor.

Our country now has the rare distinction of having a double gold medalist in the person of Carlos Edriel Yulo. And based on the medal count, only 45 athletes out of over 11,000 from 184 countries who participated won more than one gold medal in the Paris Games. By any measure, that’s a major, major accomplishment for any athlete and, of course, an unimaginable source of pride for our country.

Millions avidly marveled and applauded for two weeks the triumphs and glory of the podium finishers, and felt as well the pain and disappointments of those who fell short and did not make the podium. But unquestionably all these athletes who toiled and sacrificed their waking hours of the past four years, or maybe even longer, in their preparation and training leading up to the XXXIII Olympiad deserve to be considered champions.

Trying to understand what makes these athletes put their lives on hold just to win a medallion should perhaps be best left to sports psychologists to figure out. But as one of the many millions who eagerly stayed glued to live streaming well into the late hours of the night just to follow the heroes, I can’t help but try to hypothesize what motivates these athletes and what lessons could be learned.

What seems to be obvious is the love, dedication and passion for the sport they participate in. Take Caloy for instance. Apparently, he started training in gymnastics when he was just seven after he was seen tumbling in a playground by his grandfather. At the tender age of sixteen, he left home and family to relocate to Japan to hone his gymnastics skills. The rigorous demands of his training were grimly etched on his young stoic face as can be seen in numerous videos about his early life in Japan as he repeatedly went through his routines over and over again, dejected, lacking self-confidence and uninspired.

But a pivotal change occurred for the better when he was brought by his dedicated Japanese coach, Munehiro Kugimiya, who intuitively knew Caloy had it in him to make the Olympics, to watch the top gymnasts of Japan. Marveling at the top notch gymnastics skills of these stars, he resolved to try harder, and with the patient guidance and constant encouragement of Coach Mune, started harvesting medals — 23 gold, 13 silver and 3 bronze — in various international tournaments: the SEA Games; the Melbourne, Stuttgart, Doha World Cups; the 2020, 2021, 2022 World Championships; Asian Championships; and culminating of course at the Paris Olympic Games with two gold medals.

Today, Caloy is reaping the well-deserved adulation of a grateful nation. Today, the world is Caloy’s oyster. And no amount of crab mentality will denigrate the luster of his accomplishments. If there is a lesson to be learned in Caloy’s Olympic glory, it is this … it is not enough to have a fire in the belly to attain one’s dream, it is as equally important to have a trusted mentor who can provide support and guidance as one embarks on the path to glory.

Our people are one in wishing Caloy more gold medal-filled Olympic Games, healthy years, and to stay humble amid all the pomp and glory in the afterglow of his Olympic victory.

Trying to understand what makes these athletes put their lives on hold just to win a medallion should perhaps be best left to sports psychologists to figure out.

The quest for Olympic glory, however, is perhaps never smooth as life can, as always, sometimes take a detour, and for others, come to a dead end. A glaring example is our very own vaunted pole vaulter, EJ Obiena, ranked number two in the pole vaulting world entering the Paris Games, who was widely tipped to be a sure bet for a medal.

But, alas, this did not happen as EJ missed by a whisker and a failed jump to achieve a podium finish. EJ however is not giving up on his dreams. He has announced that not only will he compete again internationally in Lausanne on 21 August, he will also organize a world-class meet right here in the Philippines featuring no less than Armand Duplantis, the top pole vaulter in the world. Way to go EJ!

Other athletes thwarted in their quest were pugilists Tokyo Games silver medalist Carlo Paalam and bronze medalist Eumir Marcial who were expected to secure medals following their previous Olympic victories. Both failed in their quest for a repeat as the judging gods this time around did not judge their performances with favor and, given their advanced ages for boxers, will likely not make it to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

But perhaps the most inspiring examples were the Syrian swimmers, sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini. So inspiring that Netflix made a gripping true-to-life movie about how they escaped from their war-torn country to go to Germany so they could realize their dream to be Olympians.

Yusra eventually made the Olympics but not quite for her country. Her life took a detour as she instead participated as part of the Refugee Olympic Team created by the International Olympic Committee to symbolize perseverance and hope for refugees worldwide.

Until next week… OBF!

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