Oscar Pistorious epitomises determination and perseverance
As I’m pretty sure Olympic fever abounds worldwide, I’m dedicating this week’s review to some Olympic thoughts, as some of the performances, some of the stories are helping to motivate me as I prepare for Kona…. Phelps, Le Clos x 2, an unheralded Rowing Quartet, Oscar Pistorious and the Oscar gesture of the Olympic Games by Kirani James after the 400m semi-finals!!
Michael Phelps has taken swimming to new heights and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him being interviewed on NBC, where he spoke about the challenges he faced after his 8 Gold Medals in Beijing. Part of him wanted to relax and for two years he struggled to get going, before trying to get into shape again in 2011. I think the general public have no idea how mentally tough it is to keep pushing yourself, as getting to the top is a lot easier than staying there. What struck me was Phelps’ honesty when asked if he could have, would have changed anything? His response went something like this…..No I got out what I put in and got what I deserved, I have no qualms as I did what I wanted to do after Beijing. He went on to say that he doesn’t want to live a life of ‘what ifs’ and that was why he was at the Olympics 2012.
Motivation to train or prepare is a challenge we all face, including Age Group competitors who also have to juggle family responsibilities and work commitments, which can lead to time restraints. I’m also trying to live a life without regrets and what ifs, hence my reason for chasing a Dream that almost died a chubby death when I fell asleep at the wheel of life. My extreme motivation is aided considerably by Reece Walton (my late stepson who passed tragically in 2004 and was the catalyst that got me going again) and my late Dad, Harry, who was my biggest inspiration.
Talking of Phelps, he certainly did SA Tourism a huge favour when he said in an interview after his record breaking haul of medals, that one of his priorities was to visit South Africa and go Shark Cage Diving (with Chad Le Clos). Talking about Chad, he and his Dad Bert also put South Africa firmly on the map and a lot of that credit goes to coach Graham Hill… well done guys.
From a South African perspective, one of the performances of the Games to date came from our 4 Rowers, moving from 5th to Gold in the final 500m, wasn’t that brilliant? It just goes to show what happens when you have a crystal clear Dream, or Vision. Bill Hybels in his book Courageous Leadership defines Vision as “ a picture of the future that produces passion”. These four guys had a hunger, a passion and put in hundreds, if not thousands of hours of preparation to cause a huge upset.
Well I’ve left what I believe to be the best for last… the Oscar of the Olympics has to go to Kirani James (current World 400m Champion) for reaching out to our very own Oscar Pistorious. I’d hate to call Oscar disabled as he has illustrated that there are no limits physically or mentally and while he inspires us able-bodied athletes/people, can you imagine what he is doing for those who have any form of disabilities? They are surely starting to rethink POSSIBLE?
Back to Grenada’s James, who not only exchanged bib numbers with Pistorious immediately after the race (the mark of ultimate respect) but he went on to say the following:
“He’s an inspiration for all of us. What he does takes a lot of courage, just a lot of confidence. He’s very special to our sport. He’s a great individual and it’s time we see him like that and not anything else.”
Need one say more and as Marian Hinton said “Surely Pistorius’ story of perseverance, along with Kirani James’ inspirational gesture, are exactly what the Olympic Games are truly all about.” Couldn’t agree more!!
Pistorious said “It just felt really magical. If I could predict what it would feel like or imagine beyond my wildest dreams, this was probably 10 times that. To step out in front of a crowd this massive, it’s a mind-blowing experience. I’ve had support in the last couple of days like I have never felt before.
In terms of Gold Medals won, South Africa is currently lying 13th on the Medal Standings and while this is turning into arguably our best Olympics yet in terms of Medals, it has also portrayed South Africa in such a positive light. Hopefully our Politicians will follow suit and start illustrating the determination, motivation, perseverance that is required to be world class, while also understanding the need to play the game according to the Olympic spirit!
Should this happen then Nelson Mandela’s vision for the future of the Rainbow Nation would be realized. Will they see the light and contribute to Madiba’s legacy?
PS: I felt like an ‘Olympian’ after my race yesterday (see Boulder 70.3 report http://ironmansa.com/2012/08/06/boulder-70-3-race-report/) as I had a massage, ice bath and compression boots at Allsports Recovery.
By Proudly South African Alec Riddle
Boulder, Colorado
The Riddle of an Ironman's Life 