Gold or No Gold

“I don’t like the Olympics.” The man on the broadcast said. “Who cares which country has the fastest anything.”??

He’s missing the point. A human leaped twelve feet high while doing a triple-twisting, double flip. And that human is 4’ 8” tall and was injured at the time. Simone Bile’s skill and resilience in the face of challenge is breathtaking, gold or no gold.?

Watch the New Zealand Women’s Rugby team perform the Haka after winning the gold. Watch the 2016 men’s triathlon and I guarantee that UK brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee’s extraordinary athleticism for a Gold and Silver medal finish will have you cheering. Their unforgettable 2020 Silver/Bronze finish (spoiler alert) is perhaps greater still.? When one brother is yards from the finish and stops short completely exhausted, his brother gives up the Gold to help him come in for Silver. Watch it to see how, and why this remains a golden moment in my memory.?

Athletes from all over the world focus on their extraordinary skills, sacrificing for singular moments that may or may not go their way while the world watches on, literally judging them.?

That resilience alone is worth celebrating.?

I was in a high school gymnastrada once on the uneven bars and a floor routine. Let’s just say that my nerves got the best of me. While I went through the motions of my routines, my hands chalked, blistered, and taped, I fell far short of my best? In front of a crowd. Mercifully, my coach refused to show me the score and they didn’t hold up cards Olympic style at this particular event. The truth is that gymnastics built a lot of strengths for me, but that low moment stung.

Simone Biles is one of the greatest of all time not just because she is so gifted and disciplined, but because even when people criticized her and counted her out after Tokyo, she proved that it’s not just when you complete, it’s how. These athletes keep stepping up while the whole world watches on. Their personal stories are as inspiring as their world-class genius.?

We still have a few more days to witness more extraordinary feats, and if you love their stories too, here are two outstanding Olympian movies that have become recent favorites.?

Young Woman of the Sea—

In the early 1900’s it was believed that women couldn’t swim competitively because their hearts would explode. Grrrr. Watch Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle blow that myth out of the water spectacularly, and against all odds. This inspiring true story had me sighing, laughing, crying, and leaping up in joy. Fortunately, I was watching at home. You can too. Thank goodness, because if you’re like me, you’ll be cheering out loud.?

Waterman

Can mega-skill, charisma, and aloha spirit change hearts, break barriers, and launch a whole new wave of sports? Watch five-time Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku prove the answer in this eye-opening documentary that left me wondering how a man whose life inspired multiple statues built for him on three continents isn’t a household name to this day. I wish I knew him. I clapped out loud as this documentary shared the remarkable life of an extraordinary man. You’ll be amazed.

How about Boys In the Boat? So good, right??The list goes on. Miracle (2004), Cool Runnings (1983), and many others. Which is your favorite??

We all have our personal bests and our disasters. It’s not just our skills that count. It’s how many times we are willing, like 7-time Olympic Gold medalist (13 total) Simone Biles to step back up and launch into our passions. Gold or no gold. Because we can live our personal best every day,? no matter what the score is.

Noah Lyles, Olympic running champion and six-time world champion, posted after winning Gold in the 2024 100-meter event, "I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why not you?" Enough said.