Lessons from Olympic Comebacks: What We Can Learn and Apply in Everyday Life

I have always loved the Olympics. At London 2012 I took the whole period off work and attended as many events as I could. Beyond getting some tickets in the public lottery I managed to find some hospitality tickets for the 100m final and for the last day of the track cycling. They were expensive and I thought long and hard about doing it, including second-guessing for months after having bought them. But all that disappeared the moment I took my Dad to the athletics and my father-in-law, a cycling nut, to the velodrome. Happy memories that haven’t faded at all. From that day on I have tended to spend my money on experiences more than on things.

And Paris has provided an incredible fortnight of experiences - entertainment, astonishing achievements and much debate. I am so excited for the Paralympics still to come. While there were many non-sporting headlines, for me, the real stories lie in the amazing athletes - winners and record breakers and participants all - and the lessons we can learn from their journeys.?

Most, as in all walks of life, have not followed a linear path to success. Whether it’s Adam Peaty who already rewrote the breaststroke history books before fighting through mental health challenges to declare his 2024 silver the best of the lot; or Simone Biles executing the Yurchenko double pike?- the first time a woman has ever performed that move at the Olympics (I am fascinated by all the sports that spin round in the air – from gymnastics to diving to BMX); or Alex Yee’s incredible comeback in the Triathlon. Or take your memory back to the first day and team GB who enjoyed their best start to an Olympics in 44 years, with contributions from Anna Henderson, who won medals on the first day, something we haven’t achieved since 2004.?

What do all these athletes have in common? They’re making a comeback and have fantastic lessons for us to learn from.

Anna Henderson overcame breaking her collarbone twice to claim GB’s first silver medal, having undergone surgery only three months ago. She was back on a bike three days after surgery and rode through the pain with a single-minded vision: Paris 2024.

When we set goals and stay focused, it’s incredible what the mind can drive the body to achieve.

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Adam?Peaty’s?challenges are well-known, but a further interesting perspective is that of Bill Furniss, head of British swimming, with his 30 years of experience. Yes, Peaty is a natural athlete?and also?puts in the hours, as you’d expect, but the differentiator is how Peaty uses those hours. “He is utterly meticulous. Nothing’s ever good enough.”

To improve, it’s not always about working longer but working smarter, and the power of the aggregation of marginal gains. This concept isn’t just for Olympians but applies to any walk of life.?

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Simone Biles started her gymnastics career at just six years old, and her journey was likely destined for greatness from the start.

But born with unbelievable natural talent she still needed the right environment to thrive. And grit.

Battling through the ‘twisties’ took resilience, and vulnerability too – she talked about seeing her therapist on the morning of Olympic competition. Bryony Page, who added gold to her previous silver and bronzes in the trampoline, suffered a similar bout of ‘lost move syndrome’ and has talked about it over the years.

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It’s not over until it’s over and Alex Yee proved that. He trailed his rival Hayden Wilde of New Zealand by 14 seconds at the start of?the final running lap before finding energy from somewhere and passing him to?win the battle?by more than six. Incredible. Even more incredible was a subtle influence of four words said by Alistair Brownlee, the London 2012 and Rio 2016 triathlon champion. On the last lap he shouted out “anything can happen, mate.” ?Alex admitted up until then he was struggling and in a bad place. Those words gave Alex a moment of belief and rest is Olympic gold history.

The power of motivation and the benefit of mentors and people who believe in you and how they can guide your career and influence performance.

I was also really excited by the celebration of parenthood at these Olympics, for mothers and fathers both. In the latter case, the influence of their children on Peaty or on Tom Daley shone through. But it was the mums I was cheering most – nine mothers competed for GB&NI, and seven won medals. I can only begin to understand the feat of dedication, organisation and sacrifice that that entailed. Truly awesome. I was delighted to seen even the IOC (hardly a bastion of feminism over the years) starting to provide better facilities for parents.

These are a tiny sample of those that caught my attention. I could have talked equally about French stars Dupont, Marchand or Riner; Duplantis flying in the pole vault; Keeley Hodgkinson, KJT or Georgia Bell on the track – and there are many more energising and inspiring stories. I can’t wait to see what the Paralympics brings.

I’m sure you all have your own – share them below.

Maybe one of most amazing is that Olympians achieved so much while sleeping on cardboard beds!