Olympic Gold

I was reading an article in the Post today about Canada's medal count.  Being twelfth in overall medals satisfied the writer.  Still, he said "something is missing."  That same something was overly talked of in the last Olympics.  Gold.  Where is the gold?  He pointed out the medal counts of the US and China, especially the gold.

A recent study showed that bronze medal winners are the happiest.  It makes sense.  They are allowed to enjoy their accomplishment.  The silver medal winners are compared to the gold.  Where, oh where did they go wrong.  The gold medal winners are expected to repeat their performance.  It's not enough to win one gold.  We talk constantly of the gold medal records and repeats.

I think they're missing the point.  Yes, I know, I'm American, and the US leads in medals, with plenty of golds.  It is possible that even coming from a, so-called, winning country, that I still have a valid point.  To be an Olympic athlete is amazing.  These are the best in the world.  I love the opening ceremonies because that's when the dream is pure.  All the athletes are equal at that point.  They are all wonderful.  They all embody the dream.  In that moment, past medals don't matter, and the future ones can only be guessed at (after all, we saw a 50-1 long shot horse win a race last night).

To get to the Olympics is amazing.  When a country puts up a team, every citizen should be proud to watch and cheer, no matter the outcome.  When those three final athletes stand on the podium, they should ALL be proud, as should the nations they represent.  Of course no one chants, "We're number two!  We're number two!"  But to be a silver medalist is to be one of the top three athletes in your sport in the world.  It's a large world.  That's pretty impressive.

Yes, athletes make mistakes.  And those mistakes need to be commented on by the commentators in the moment, but when those same athletes stand tall on the podium, no matter the color they wear around their necks, or even if they are standing on the floor, they should stand tall, for they have accomplished something so many only dream of.