Triumph vs Struggle - Olympic Moment
2022 Winter Olympics are coming up soon, I thought I would share one of my favorite Olympic moments. It was not watching the final medal counts about which country was leading the tally, though important, or who won the most 100m dash, though Ulsan Bolt was one of the greatest athletes ever. My favorite Olympic moment is reserved for the person who set the slowest record for men’s 100m freestyle ever in the Olympics, swimming so slowly that he almost drowned. That was Eric Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea at the 2000 Sidney Olympics.
Ahead of Sydney 2000, Moussambani did not even know what the Olympics were all about. He was also yet to set foot in a pool. About three months to the start of the Games in Sydney, Moussambani heard on the radio that the national swimming federation was looking for swimmers. In turned out that he was the only male who went for the trial and automatically qualified for the Olympics without meeting the minimum qualification requirements via a wildcard draw designed to encourage participation from developing nations. He saw a 50m Olympic size pool for the first time in Sydney after training in a 12m pool and a crocodile infested river. On the day of the event, two other athletes were disqualified for false start and Moussambani had to swim all by himself on September 19, 2000 for the full sized Olympic pool. Thank to the 17,000 crowd, Moussambani, though struggled mightily, was able to make it home more than 64 seconds behind the gold medal winner. Despite being mocked initially, Moussambani learned to swim well after the Olympics and has since became a national coach for his country. He also became a symbol for swimming in his country, which now has two Olympic-size pools.
Although Olympic sports have become a major commercial activity for the organizer, business sponsors, and many athletes, let’s not forget that the Olympic ideals are expressed in the Olympic creed:
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. - Baron de Coubertin
By and large, the same principle applies to many aspects of our everyday lives as well. Meanwhile, I am getting ready to run my thirteenth marathon at the 2022 Houston Marathon tomorrow morning in a very cold weather (35F) and Mr Eric Moussambani will be my inspiration. Wish me good luck.
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LIFE Science Advisor | Bridging Business Strategy with Digital, Data & AI, Bayer Science Fellow, Allyship Champion.
3 个月Very well said. Life is precious, so live it to the fullest. :)
Lead to strategically build, ramp up manufacturing capabilities from supplier management to customer engagement
2 年What a fantastic article again !! I will be thinking about Eric and you When I run my next marathon! Btw we ran on the same 2022 Houston marathon too ….
Commercial Manager
2 年https://youtu.be/gIwxyREpiWk
Senior Manager, IT Business Solutions at Herschel Supply Company
2 年Very well said and inspiring read, Xinjin Zhao, thank you! Great people can have millions of failures under their belts but it is the resiliency and determination that set them apart. It is not about being the best but it is about doing their very best. They are aware that someone will be better than them but this will not stop them from taking the first step and breaking the barrier of their own comfort zone. I believe this is what matters.
Strategic Planning Manager at Keysight Technologies
2 年Thank you for the sharing, it is an inspired story. I like the quote " The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."