71st Edition
I watched a lot more of the Paris Summer Olympics than I planned to. There just seemed to be one inspirational event after another, across multiple sports and venues, which kept drawing me in. It truly was an inspirational Olympics.
According to the official count, the United States won more medals than any other country with 126. China was next with 91. The U.S. and China tied with 40 gold medals. It’s rather symbolic that these two nations would tie for the most overall gold medals. It’s impossible to discuss any significant global competition without including these two rivals. Interestingly, these two global powers approach just about everything from a distinct perspective. It is unsettling, but not hard to imagine, that the ongoing struggle for world domination between these two titans will eventually lead to military conflict. I sure hope it doesn’t, but it isn’t too farfetched.
The Americans were clearly dominant in track and field, winning 34 medals, the most it has won in track and field since winning 40 at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. It’s hard to pick the most spectacular performance from this venue because there were several. Here’s a few…
How about Cole Hocker in his remarkable sprint to the finish to win the 1500. He seemed to get knocked off his stride which is usually a fatal momentum killer, only to squeak by on the inside in the last fifty meters to win in Olympic record time. Or how about Quincy Hall, going from fifth to first in the last forty meters of the 400. He too, seemed to be struggling, but somehow found something deep down inside himself and surged to win, running the third fastest time ever in that event. And then we have the incomparable Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone winning the 400 hurdles, setting another world record in an event she has taken to another level. Just incredible stuff. Inspirational stuff. I could go on and on. Record-breaking performances were made by athletes from other countries as well. At the top of this list, literally and figuratively, has to be Armand Duplantis, from Sweden, who cleared 6.25 meters in the pole vault. That’s twenty feet, six inches. He is the G.O.A.T in that event, without question.
Later in the evening, after all the events had concluded, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalists sat before journalists from around the world. Some of their questions were insightful but many more were silly. Not really the word I wanted to use, but in the spirit of the Olympics I’m trying to be nice… A few times the athletes were asked where their strength came from, and invariably, their answers were their faith. One such instance was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who explained that she ran to praise God and tried to live her life to do the same. She explained that she is well aware of the unique platform her track achievements have provided her and she intends to use that platform to praise God. Her testimony was heartfelt and honest. I was disappointed that there were no follow-up questions from any of the journalists or the moderator. Were they not the least bit intrigued by her testimony? I wonder why not?
For me, the coolest thing about Olympic accomplishments, like those cited above, is not watching them live or even watching them over and over. The coolest thing is imagining some young boy or girl who is so inspired by them that they dedicate their life to accomplishing something even greater. Virtually all great athletes and coaches, from Roger Bannister and Red Auerbach to Michael Phelps and LeBron James, have said that records are made to be broken. How true that is. Moreover, all great accomplishments start with a dream, and that is what makes the Olympics so special. Armand’s pole vault record and Sydney’s 400m-hurdle record will be broken someday. I hope I get to watch the remarkable person who does it.
With the Olympics officially over, I can’t help but reflect that perhaps we may have missed some other even more meaningful inspirational moments, by not focusing a bit more TV time on the faith testimonies of these incredible athletes. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not the only one who praised God during post competition interviews. Even without elaboration or further discussion, could there be young boys and girls who were inspired by those testimonies? I sure hope so, don’t you?
It is certainly a delight for us to watch an athlete sprint faster or jump higher than anyone ever has before. And it can be an even greater joy for us when some of them, even in their singular greatness, give all honor and glory to God.
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.