Yes! As someone who has never been one and one who can only stand on the sideline or sit in my living room and spectate, I can only imagine.
The lives of Olympics athletes must not be a very easy one at the best of times as a lot of time is spent on justifying actions both privately and publicly and let us not forget the constant media attention that has to be dealt with.
For better or for worse; the media is an Olympics athlete’s best friend when said athlete is able to meet expectations and excels at said expectations. However whenever said athlete fails to meet all of this then here is where the real challenge comes into play.
Never mind all of this but what about all of the commitment, dedication, and hard work that must be put forth if any Olympics athlete expects to succeed? The rigorous hours of training that goes in to it all? The commitment that is made up of not just the athlete but also on the part of parents, family, coaches, and other associates?
An Olympics dream is not one that is to be taken lightly! It is a dream that needs to be perpetuated from inception until the podium is reached and even when the podium is just beyond reach then the dream needs to be reformatted, and a renewed commitment made.
Only the best of the best is able to stick with this mammoth commitment to the end. It is so easy to give up and give in whenever stumbling blocks appear in the path and it is so very difficult for many Olympics athletes to overcome these stumbling blocks no matter how resolved they are to do so.
This is why I as a person take my hat off to all of those who continue to participate in Olympics. I applaud the podium winners, and I applaud those who cross the finish line behind the podium winners. I applaud all of those fine men and women who actually are able to compete.
To athletes and their families and their friends, to the coaches and organizers! Thank you!