|
It's true! That hangover-like feeling is very real. After the European Football Championship and the Tour De France, the Olympic Games have also come to an end. We're no longer used to dealing with this lack of top-level sports excitement in the media. We're left with no purpose. But 2028 is just around the corner, fellow Angelenos! For more than two weeks, we were able to witness incredible feats and others that were not so exciting; see unforgettable images of triathletes competing in the City of Light, while we thought: is that water really clean? (in reality, it wasn’t). This year, more than supporting the athletes from my country; more than watching the performances of some idols; I aimed to follow an athlete in a discipline that never really meant anything to me: Simone Biles. Everyone loves an epic rise story, but it seems these stories only get better in the next part: the meteoric fall. Simone Biles was a perfect example of this. In 2016, at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, she came close to perfection and began to be considered the greatest athlete of all time in gymnastics. At the next Olympics in Tokyo, when she was the big favorite, she withdrew from the individual events. She admitted that she didn’t feel mentally well and that it was affecting her performance. She decided to step back and seek help, admitting that when she resumed training, still erratically, she had to relearn many things considered basic for an athlete of her level. Although admired for this as well, she faced immense criticism for withdrawing, for stepping back, and for sharing her inner struggle. I was part of the group of supporters and secretly awaited her performance in Paris to witness her comeback. Fortunately, it was confirmed: with a bang! Athletes like her are always seen as examples, and the prevailing model until now has been that they should always exude confidence, regardless of what torments them. Anything that deviated from this was a sign of weakness. Being arrogant or even aggressive was seen as a quality. It showed "the desire to be better”. When Simone admitted she wasn't well, it was seen by some people as pure weakness. Could the fact that she is a woman have "facilitated" the emergence of these criticisms? (food for thought). The reality is that exposing herself like this and making her way back under the spotlight undoubtedly required much greater strength than just "pretending everything was fine”. On this journey, even if Simone Biles hadn’t achieved any success at these Olympic Games, she would still be an incredible example of resilience. We should all look at what she did and realize that there are moments in our lives when we need to stop, reflect, and ask for help. This may involve taking several steps back, but it won’t prevent us from making a great comeback. I will always admire the way Diego Maradona, Dennis Rodman, or Muhammad Ali left their mark on sports with their divisive personalities, but this girl took her leap of faith and earned her own place in history. Have a great week! Prime Human Performance
|
