﻿{"id":485495,"date":"2021-08-21T07:05:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T14:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=485495"},"modified":"2021-08-21T07:05:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T14:05:25","slug":"what-world-class-athletes-taught-us-through-the-olympic-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/what-world-class-athletes-taught-us-through-the-olympic-games\/","title":{"rendered":"What World-Class Athletes Taught Us Through the Olympic Games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What World-Class Athletes Taught Us Through the Olympic Games<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>By Vanessa Steigauf, Swimming World College Intern<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Olympics are over but what stays for a little longer are the memories we\u2019ve gained, the chance to share the thrill of all the athletes we followed in front of our TVs. The Olympics made us realize what sportsmanship really means. We got to experience brilliant examples delivered by the world\u2019s best athletes throughout every sport: Swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and others. Here\u2019s to some of the most impressive character traits we know we have because of practicing our sports \u2013 and how this year\u2019s Olympic athletes left their marks on them.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Know How to Win<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As athletes, we have gone through a bunch of competitions, many coaches have pushed us to do our best, and we all have celebrated some victories. We know it is never as simple as others might think. After all the effort we put in our preparations, achieving our goal creates a feeling that is indescribable. Usually, only one gets to experience the feeling of being No. 1. But not in this year\u2019s Olympic <a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/tokyo-2020\/olympic-games\/en\/results\/athletics\/event-schedule-men-s-high-jump.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high jump final.<\/a> Thirteen men were fighting to get one of the three Olympic medals. Two of them, Mutaz Essa (Qatar) and Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) battled each other through every round. They were jumping the same heights until they were the only ones left, fighting for the gold medal. When they had to do a jumpoff to figure out the winner, they asked if both of them could have gold. They could. The two high jumpers erupted in joy, celebrating each other\u2019s win at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u2026And We Know How to Lose with Dignity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After a tough year recovering from an elbow injury, swimmer <strong>Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m<\/strong> had to battle to simply compete at the Tokyo Games. Without her injury she would clearly have been the odds-on favorite in several events. Now it wasn\u2019t clear how she would perform at this year\u2019s Olympics. After qualifying for the 100 butterfly final, the reigning champion <a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/tokyo-2020\/olympic-games\/en\/results\/swimming\/results-women-s-100m-butterfly-fnl-000100-.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">touched the wall in seventh in the final<\/a>. That race didn\u2019t go as planned. But her reaction was impressive: after her first look at the board, she immediately had a smile on her face for the victory of <strong>Maggie MacNeil,<\/strong> who was swimming next to her. Of course, she was disappointed with her own performance, as she stated in a later interview, but she knew how to handle the situation and inspired all of us with her spirit of sportsmanship.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Are Disciplined<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_484708\" style=\"width: 319px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-484708\" data-attachment-id=\"484708\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/olympics-florian-wellbrock-dominates-last-lap-of-10k-to-secure-open-water-olympic-gold-by-25-seconds\/olympics-open-water-swimming-mens-10km-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/XXX-florian-wellbrock-10k-open-water-tokyo-olympics-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,834\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Aug 5, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Florian Wellbrock (GER) wears his gold medal after the men&#039;s 10km marathon swimming competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Odaiba Marine Park. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1628121977&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Olympics: Open Water Swimming-Mens 10km&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XXXXXXOlympics: Open Water Swimming-Mens 10km\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Aug 5, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Florian Wellbrock (GER) wears his gold medal after the men&#8217;s 10km marathon swimming competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Odaiba Marine Park. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports 2021 Olympics&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Kareem Elgazzar\/USA TODAY Sports&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/XXX-florian-wellbrock-10k-open-water-tokyo-olympics-2-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/XXX-florian-wellbrock-10k-open-water-tokyo-olympics-2-1024x712.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-484708\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/XXX-florian-wellbrock-10k-open-water-tokyo-olympics-2-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Aug 5, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Florian Wellbrock (GER) wears his gold medal after the men's 10km marathon swimming competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Odaiba Marine Park. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports\" width=\"309\" height=\"221\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-484708\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: Kareem Elgazzar\/USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n<p>German swimmer <strong>Florian Wellbrock<\/strong> had big plans for this year\u2019s Olympic Games. He had the chance of winning three gold medals in and out of the pool. After leading the men\u2019s 1500 freestyle for 1450 meters, two of his opponents passed him on the last lap, leaving him on the third place. But he channeled his emotions and came back even stronger in the <a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/tokyo-2020\/olympic-games\/en\/results\/marathon-swimming\/olympic-schedule-and-results.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10k open-water event<\/a>, winning by 25 seconds. It takes discipline for such a victory.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Know Our Body \u2026And Our Mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As athletes we definitely get to know our body over time. What kind of practice works for us and how much recovery time we need couldn&#8217;t be more individual. But in recent years, it has become obvious that we shouldn\u2019t only master our body but also our minds. Mental health has become an emerging topic in sports. Simone Biles is one of the leading athletes in this regard. She was able to listen to her body and know when it would be best to stop competing. When she withdrew from several of her Olympic events, this decision had a huge impact on the world\u2019s perception of the role of mental health in sports.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Are Experts in Motivating Ourselves and Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We practice it every day: Motivation. If it is in the early mornings when we search for a good reason to jump in the cold water or if it is during a hard set when we are racing a teammate, motivation is the key to success. Belgium\u2019s Bashir Abdi and Netherland\u2019s Abdi Nageeye delivered a perfect example of what motivation and sportsmanship mean. During the Olympic marathon, they were in third and fourth during the last minutes of the race as Nageeye started to attack the runner in second place. But he didn\u2019t do this alone. He gave Abdi several winks and motivated him to pass the runner in front of them together. He finally did and couldn\u2019t believe what he had just achieved when he crossed the finish line as the bronze medalist \u2013 motivated by his opponent who got second<sup>\u00a0<\/sup>just half a second in front of him.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Do What We Do with Passion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If we didn&#8217;t love our sport, we wouldn\u2019t practice it as intensely as we do. And when you qualify for the Olympics but get injured right before, it must be your worst nightmare come true. Gymnast Danusia Francis had to go through exactly this nightmare at this year\u2019s Olympic Games. She tore her ACL right before the Games, but she didn\u2019t want to quit. Even if it seemed impossible to participate, she decided to go out there and do the simplest exercise she could. Despite her injury, she was an Olympic athlete and made her dream come true.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Write History<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_483491\" style=\"width: 279px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-483491\" data-attachment-id=\"483491\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/what-world-class-athletes-taught-us-through-the-olympic-games\/olympics-swimming-july-28-55\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/xxx-sullivan-ledecky-medal-scaled-e1627444819644.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,805\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-9M2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Jul 28, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Erica Sullivan (USA) and Katie Ledecky (USA) show off their silver and gold medals during the medals ceremony for the women&#039;s 1500m freestyle during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1627444058&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;USA TODAY Sports&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;344&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Olympics: Swimming-July 28&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Olympics: Swimming-July 28\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Jul 28, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Erica Sullivan (USA) and Katie Ledecky (USA) show off their silver and gold medals during the medals ceremony for the women&#8217;s 1500m freestyle during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports 2021 Olympics&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/xxx-sullivan-ledecky-medal-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/xxx-sullivan-ledecky-medal-1024x687.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-483491\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/xxx-sullivan-ledecky-medal-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Jul 28, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Erica Sullivan (USA) and Katie Ledecky (USA) show off their silver and gold medals during the medals ceremony for the women's 1500m freestyle during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports\" width=\"269\" height=\"192\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-483491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Yes, we do write history, even if our impacts on the sport may seem small and unremarkable. We leave our marks, and we are inspired by swimmers like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-katie-ledecky-makes-history-as-1500-freestyle-door-opened-to-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Katie Ledecky<\/a><\/strong>, <strong>Erica Sullivan <\/strong>and <strong>Sarah K\u00f6hler<\/strong>,who went down in history as the first Olympic medalists in the women&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/tokyo-2020\/olympic-games\/en\/results\/swimming\/results-women-s-1500m-freestyle-fnl-000100-.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1500 freestyle event.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Just like these Olympic Athletes inspired us, we can write history with our actions \u2013 even if they may seem too small to be noticed. Not being shown on the big screen doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t leave a mark on somebody else with the actions you take today.<\/p>\n<p><em> All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What World-Class Athletes Taught Us Through the Olympic Games By Vanessa Steigauf, Swimming World College Intern The Olympics are over but what stays for a little longer are the memories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57507,"featured_media":482572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[122266,127743,52093,25031,57064,237,36255,32196,54933,695],"class_list":["post-485495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-commentary","tag-2021-olympics","tag-discipline","tag-erica-sullivan","tag-katie-ledecky","tag-mental-health","tag-olympic-games","tag-sarah-kohler","tag-sarah-sjostrom","tag-sportsmanship","tag-tokyo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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