Tokyo 2020: There’s more to life than winning
Winning medals isn’t everything! It seems a strange theme to emerge from the drama of the best of humanity competing to win, yet it was written across an Olympics which carried more pressure than any in recent memory. The games themselves had retained their host city of Tokyo, but were hosted by a different year as Covid made it’s mark on our world.
Under such pressure it would be difficult to find a more relaxed and yet motivated individual than Ireland’s gold medallist in rowing, Paul O Donovan. His interviews are always worth watching not only for the easy going humour that is often present, but to listen to a winner thinking out loud. The irony being this isn’t what drives or defines him. “You’re very happy winning obviously but at the end of the day you forget about it and get on with life.”
In fact whilst being no stranger to medals it seems Paul’s medals have been estranged from him.
He boxes them up and leaves them with family to appreciate, as for him “the gratification of such gongs wears off whereas the everyday joys of his craft never have.” So it seems as well as rowing partner Fintan McCarthy, he shares the boat with two faithful companions: the joy of rowing and the consistent desire to bring the best from himself.
Ireland’s boxer Kellie Harrington also exuded a relaxed confidence in her interviews on the way to the gold medal. Her catchphrase which featured regularly, “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King means “no worries for the rest of your days.” Harrington’s calm and positivity come from a sound sense of her own identity, people and place, “I’m more than just a boxer. I’m Kellie Harrington, I’m a giving person, I have a fantastic family and a great job at home.”
As we celebrate such champions our pride goes beyond their winning medals to their winning mentality and character. As exceptional as they are it is their ordinariness and humble humanity that we love. Their no worries, happy demeanour in the most testing of environments are winning qualities we would love to possess for ourselves.
Another huge story at the games which went beyond winning was the decision of Simone Biles to withdraw from certain gymnastic events for mental health reasons. She decided to prize her own well being and mental health over winning at all costs. This prompted Times magazine to suggest this Olympics has changed the conversation around mental health.
Dealing with the pressure of performing with the world watching on and with the weight of expectation of a country on your shoulders can sometimes be too much. In Biles case the shock was in her proven track record in the past, as Keith Duggan notes “She hadn’t lost an all round event since 2013 so the assumption was that she could just glide on automatic through the turmoil in Tokyo and tick off another haul of golds. But something gave.”
In an interview with Juliet Macur of New York Times before the games she said, “At the end of the day I’m such a huge athlete but who am I?” she said in that interview. “If you take that mask off, you know, who will I be? I’m still trying to find out.” Could it be the extremely challenging environment of elite gymnastics in USA has been geared more towards forming a winning gymnast than a winning human being?
Of course such is the temptation for any elite sportsperson to chase such achievement and success so hard that it defines who you are. Silver medalist in the women’s high jump in Tokyo, Nicola McDermott, reflects on a time when, “I got to a level where I had everything I ever dreamed of, but I was still dissatisfied – I realised I had put my identity into performance and achievement.” She’d jumped herself to the top, but had perhaps lost the grounding under her feet.
Such an emphasis on identity and sound mental health is surely part of a world moving on from an obsession on productivity and results towards recovering our humanity. Who we are becoming is more important than what we’ve achieved.
US Olympian Alex Bowen says, “We aren’t born great. But what we do to be great is relentlessly pursue greatness. It’s not all about what you are, but what you are trying to be. We are all human; the Olympics are about trying to become your best self. And it’s O.K. to get help to become your best self.”
What happens, however, when you fail to give your best? Both Paul O Donovan and Kellie Harrington are noted for being incredibly consistent in training and performing. O Donovan says “I suppose our goal is to just go as fast as we can and if we can win the gold medal, then, that’s great, and if we don’t but we still gave it our best shot, then we’ll be kind of happy with that, ultimately.” As long as he gives his best he is happy enough.
In our own quest in life to be, “our best selves” if only we could be so consistent. Whilst we can learn painful, yet formative lessons, from the mistakes we make, what about the hurt we cause to those we love the most, the shame we feel inside and- supposing there is a God who has made us for Himself- the distance we put between ourselves and Him?
What if our identity was not found in winning, or even in performing to our best, but rather by receiving help from outside of ourselves?
Nicola McDermott, found the dissatisfaction she felt in an identity based on winning, led her to find faith in God. “Faith for me was realising that I am loved regardless of performance – high jumping is simply a way to connect me to God.” This is where she finds her identity, so that now “Every competition I go to provides an opportunity to showcase what it means to jump without expectation, and encourage those around me that their identity isn’t in what they do.”
The security and joy of this identity in Jesus is shared by Sydney McLoughlin, who won the gold medal and broke the world record in the women’s 400m hurdles in Tokyo. “I no longer run for self recognition… I don’t deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you Father.”
She has found an identity that is both undeserving, yet loved in great measure because of God’s grace: available through the death and resurrection of Jesus, His Son.
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