Many athletes who are granted the chance to compete at an Olympic Games don’t return home with medals. Many athletes return home with personal bests, such as a career-high score in judging or a faster time in the race.
It’s a proof that athletes can be resilient and win at the Olympics.
Athletes talk about how they have overcome disappointments and developed resilience.
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NAME: Karen Chen
SPORT: Figure skating
COUNTRY: United States
Karen Chen, an American figure skater, says that athletes don’t always talk about the difficulties they face in order to compete at the Olympics.
Chen finished 16th in the single freestyle event for women, although she didn’t talk about it.
She said, “But, you know, I was resilient, and I was like ‘I’m going out to compete.’ “I know I was able to overcome this challenge and that I used every ounce of strength I had.
NAMES: Laurence Fournier Beaudry, Nikolaj Soerensen
SPORT: Ice dancing
COUNTRY: Canada
Nikolaj Soerensen, a Canadian ice dancer, is well aware of the mental toll that an injury can cause and hopes that his recovery will inspire others.
Soerensen was unable to have surgery after sustaining a knee injury in 2019. This happened during his 2019 skating season with Laurence Fournier Beaudry. He learned patience, the importance of taking time to heal, and how to resist the negative emotions that accompany injuries.
Soerensen states that the mind can play many tricks on you when your body is injured.
Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen took dance lessons on the ice. Soerensen sat in a chair while Fournier Beaudry worked his arm movements.
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NAME: Moritz Muller
SPORT: Ice hockey
COUNTRY: Germany
Moritz Müller, a German ice hockey player, says that setbacks are part of life.
Muller stated that the most successful people are those who have suffered the greatest setbacks after Germany lost 4-0 to Slovakia.
Muller claims that he bounces back after setbacks by taking the time to reflect on what went wrong and learning from it. He is able to keep his family in the picture and not take himself too seriously.
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NAMES: Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear
SPORT: Ice dancing
COUNTRY: Great Britain
British ice dancers Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear have worked with a mental coach to learn how to replace any doubts with self-belief.
It’s powerful to fill your head with thoughts. Fear states that you are your biggest influence.
Their resilience is attributed to their positive outlook.
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NAME: Madeleine Dupont
SPORT: Curling
COUNTRY: Denmark
Madeleine Dupont said that the Danish women’s curling club talks a lot about what kind of team they want to be and how they will handle themselves after the games.
After Denmark’s round-robin loss to Great Britain 7-2, Dupont asked: “Do we want the team that gives up and doesn’t bounce back?” “That’s not me I want to be and that’s not what our team wants. We want to continue showing up and doing our best.
She stated that losses can be hard and cause her to cry in bed. She knows this is not how she wants her life to be.
She says, “I want be the one who fights for my rights.”
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NAMES: Adrian Diaz, Olivia Smart
SPORT: Ice dancing
COUNTRY: Spain
Adrian Diaz and Oliva Smart, a Spanish pair of ice dancers, failed to make it to the Olympics four years back. They worked together constructively to communicate more so that there wasn’t tension on the ice.
It was not easy, we can’t even say so. Smart says it took us five years to understand exactly what we needed to do.” Smart says, “Not only for skating and training, but for your whole life.”
Smart said that she has learned to communicate with friends, family members, and colleagues.
“But breakthroughs do happen. They just require patience and time. It is worth the effort, if you are patient.”
