I won Olympic gold -- and had to learn how to lose

Watching the Olympics on TV is where it all started for me in 1984. I dreamed of being an Olympian and wearing the stars and stripes just like Mary Lou, who won gold, glory and the hearts of girls all across America that year. Fast-forward thirty years, three Olympic teams and one gold medal later, to a place that is foreign yet comfortably familiar. Today, and for the next two weeks, I’ll spend all my free time watching the 2016 Games on TV from my couch in California. Just a few weeks ago I was vying for a spot on this Olympic team, which would have been my fourth and presumably last, but came up just short. Now that my athletic career has come to its inevitable end, a bit short of the goal, I have time to summarize my Olympic and professional experience both in success and defeat. This year the Rio Olympics motto is “A New World;” it perfectly resonates with my transition from athlete to the next chapter in life.

The greatest achievement in sport is winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the discus throw. Years of dedication, tears, sweat, therapy, travel, and oodles of money go into being able to compete. Even then, the gold medal around my neck does not come close to the value I put on family, faith and my health. The only real lasting effects are those that are intangible: personal gratification, public credibility, inspiration of future participants, and a particular combination of skills that are honed and put into regular practice. These skills developed over a competitive career are immensely helpful in any field and ultimately they will determine my success in that career. Here is my short list of skills for success in sport that will translate to career success.

Photo by Paige Lampson

1. Work for long-term goals with determination – Since the Olympics happens once every four years, Olympians have the ability to look much farther ahead than quarterly or even yearly wins and losses. They have a plan of action for upward progress over the long run, overcoming short-term setbacks and keeping victories in perspective to the larger goals.
2. Take initiative to organize a plan of action -- Olympians quickly plan, organize and take action because in sports swift action is rewarded more than endless planning.
3. Provide strong leadership in teams -- Strong and successful leaders take responsibility for substandard performance and share the rewards of great results. The same is true of successful Olympians who must not waste valuable time boasting about themselves or blaming others for a loss.
4. Solve problems as they arise – Reaction to problems is important and critical in sport and it is a mechanism of defensive strategy. In practice it is the offense, which is proactive, that scores the points. Olympians are able to react to obstacles and quickly turn them into opportunities for success.

This short list covers only a small portion of the skills that are learned over a career in sport but one last thing that all of us need to put into practice is how to lose with dignity. After a whirlwind 2008-2009 season of winning a gold medal, being ranked number one in the world, traveling all over the globe competing at the highest league in the sport, I fell flat at the world championships and did not make the eight person final cut.

At first I felt as if I was under a microscope and everyone was pondering what had happened that I could fall so far under expectations. But that was short lived as I talked to more and more people that didn’t even have a clue that I had competed at all or didn’t particularly care about the result and treated me with love and respect anyway.

I learned then that the sting of defeat is just as fleeting as the thrill of victory and being sorry for myself was pretty pointless. Those who love me and care didn’t make a fuss and those who were part of the outer circle were more interested in talking about the winner than wondering about the others and their fate. It was revealing and relieving to know this and I hope that it translates to others in the business world. Keep the pity party short and sweet and move on to the next challenge with confidence in the process, positive attitudes for future performance and practical skills for long term success.

More posts on this topic:

• Athletes are built for more than sports. Here’s why we need to become businessmen, too. — Andre Iguodala
• How I bounced back from #120 to #2 on golf’s money list — Mark O’Meara
• Why your career in sports doesn’t end after retirement. Here’s how I learned how to do even more. — Jennie Finch
• Why Athletes Make Great Entrepreneurs — Richard Branson
• Why Women in Sports is Better for Business:  My Experience Training for Marathons — Dambisa Moyo
• Going professional: Why you should never stop thinking like an athlete — Eric Spiegel
• How my Olympic experience helped me start my own business — Mary Andrews
• From the Olympics to Home Depot: How I made the transition after breaking a world record — Kevin Young
• How to Incorporate “The Olympian Way” into your workplace — Marilyn King
• I spent eight years working towards the Big Leagues, but what’s most important is what comes after. — Dan Black
• What Olympic training taught me — and why we each embody Olympian values — Kimberly Carlisle
• My career after my career: Why athletics makes me a better entrepreneur — Wladimir Klitschko