What does it really mean to be an olympic athlete? Does it mean that they can jump the highest, run the fastest, or reach the end of the swimming pool milliseconds faster than the rest? Does it mean they can shut out all the pressure, or turn the stress into adrenaline and power?
Yes, of course, it means all of those things.
However, it's also so much more.
The Olympic games are about what it means to be a human on this Earth. We all live here together, we all have dreams, and we all want to be the best that we can be. We also all need to work together in order to succeed. Every nation's team is there to support their teammates and to be good sports toward their competitors. To be an olympian is to be an example for the rest of us.
In the 1992 games in Barcelona, British track and field athlete Derek Redmond had his eyes set on a medal of any color. Injury stopped him from competing just minutes before his race in the 1988 games, and now, this was his chance to prove to himself that he could do it.
Halfway through the 400-meter semifinal race, his hamstring snapped, and he fell to the ground in immense pain. His dreams were absolutely shattered.
Not many people remember who won that race, but everyone remembers the moment his father broke tradition and walked directly onto the Olympic track.
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