Watching any sports in Olympic bring a series of goose bumps in the
body. Spectators hold their breath to experience the feeling of the trilled
environment. As soon as the winners are declared and national anthem is played,
winner’s heart is filled with glory and sense of satisfaction. If anyone wins,
the country wins. All exciting moments are shared all over the world using the
social media. Below are 3 swimmers represented themselves differently in Rio
Olympics 2016. Sometimes, winning is not always important but participating is
all that matters. More than Triumph, Struggle matters.
Swimming Stars stand
unique in their own way:
Michael Phelps: Gold happens to be in
love with Phelps. Over and again, 31 year old, Phelps proved that he is the unmatched
contender and earned himself a legendary status. In Rio 2016, Crowd roaring was
louder every second witnessing the wind milling stroke. Phelps completed the
thrilling 200m Butterfly event with a time of 1:53.36 and 200m
Individual medley Final with a time of 1:54.66. A Gladiator entry, Compelling mind,
grueling multi stroke led to a gut-busting win in Individual and Relay finals at
Rio Olympics 2016. He took part in Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London, and
Rio winning 21 Gold, 2 Silver, and 2 Bronze. Winning 25 medals is a set record
in Olympic history and also the oldest individual gold medalist.
Yusra Mardini – The
18 year old from Syria is representing the refugee team in Rio Olympics 2016.
No country, No Flag, No Anthem for the refugee team. Training in Syria was a
challenge in itself due to war and sometimes bombs in the swimming pool. In
2015, her sister and she jumped into the freezing water when the boat started
filling with water and pushed the boat to stay on course as they swam. They
swam for three and half hours in the freezing cold water to reach Greece shores
where staying for 45 minutes is itself unbearable. This was a test for life,
endurance, strength and human spirit. She is among the 10 picked by IOC to
represent the refugee team. She is qualified for 100 m freestyle and 100 m
Butterfly. Remember tough times make you tougher. She clearly sent a message
that “Never give up”.
Robel Kiros Habte
- The Ethiopian swimmer is loved and hated on social
media after participating in 100m freestyle swimming competition. Habte came in the last
place with a time of 1:4.95 still he was loved and cheered by many. The winner
completed the race in 47.90 secs. In Olympic, performance matters and rules the
stage but in Habte case, his troubled tummy, weight and poor performance attracted
attention. As soon as he completed the swimming event, headlines started
popping up as “The Slowest Whale ever” or “Dad bod”. Despite bullies, a few cheered
him as “Robel Kiros Habte is a legend. I love this Olympian”; “Robel Kiros
Habte is my new hero. Give the guy some love”, “Robel Kiros Habte wanted to do
something different for his country at the Olympics. More power to you
Robel !!”
His physical shape was compared to the well-toned swimmers. He is
presently recovering from the car accident and he will be back in shape soon. Some
speculated that Hapte qualification to the Olympics can be explained by
nepotism. His father is the president of Ethopian Swimming federation. However,
Hapte entered the Olympics through a special invitation where invitation is
allowed to athletes that didn’t have many competitors to represent in the
games. Traditionally Ethiopians are associated with land based events and their
successes are usually in long running races. Habte chose swimming to represent
the country in a different way. "Everybody, every day you wake up in
Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn't want to run, I wanted to be a
swimmer … It didn't matter where I finished," he added.
He was pleased that he was
part of this graceful event. After participating in this event, he added a new
chapter in the Ethiopian history. He said “Ethiopia is not a swimmers' country
and I have not trained in an Olympic size pool,". Definitely his
experience and will to show something different to its country will encourage
many youngsters to take part in different sports and gain experience. He has become the
unlikely hero for his determination and willingness to do something different. This will open up new hopes and guidance in
the upcoming Olympics and also to the Ethiopians.
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