I am incredibly thankful that I got to be a part of this program. As a young girl I always dreamed of winning a gold medal and while I had to let that dream go (at least for now) just being at the Olympics was magical.
Sport at the Olympics is unique in that it brings together the top household names of the world, such as Lebron James and Steph Curry, with athletes who the casual sport fan has never heard of but are masters of their craft – like Stephen N. the pommel horse king of the United States. I enjoyed getting to attend events with high profile athletes, like seeing Carlos Alcaraz play for Spain, but I felt even more magic watching athletes not as popular get their shining moment. I attended the last night of athletics with Monika and seeing the joy on the faces of Haruka Kitaguchi and Hamish Kerr as they achieved their gold medals was heartwarming. They celebrated far longer than the American athletes who looked more relieved than happy when they won. They won’t have the same level of sponsorship deals as bigger names, but in that moment, they were the same as Sydney McLaughlin, Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas – Olympic gold medalists. Furthermore, watching as all fans stood and cheered for the athletes as they did their victory laps – no matter what nationality – was amazing and reminded me we can come together peacefully as human beings.
I was appreciative of the mix of studies, backgrounds and perspectives that my classmates brought to the program. Spending time with my classmates gave me a much more global perspective on the Games. As an American, my feelings about the Olympics were often garnered around how many medals the American team won – specifically gold medals. Hearing from my Austrian, Korean and Indian classmates the importance of celebrating all medals really stayed with me. They come from countries where they don’t walk into events just expecting to win gold and are just enthusiastic about being a part of the Olympics. They celebrate the performance of their athletes no matter what. I want to take this perspective with me forward into my daily life – not just focusing on the “win” but celebrating the little achievements of the day.
On my flight back to DC I was seated a few rows in front of Katie Ledecky. It struck me just how normal she was – you’d never know she was the US closing ceremony flag bearer the night before or a 9x gold medalist. She wore minimal USA gear, carried her own bags and was traveling sans security. When someone noticed her and congratulated her she said thank you but was more interested in the person than talking about herself. It was so refreshing to see such a humble, lowkey champion when the media often only wants to focus on the brash superstar. I personally think the sports world could benefit from focusing more stars like Katie Ledecky. It would show the next generation that who you are as a person is far more important than the number of likes on your post.
Professor Burns often noted that these Games were coming at a time the world truly needed them and it wasn’t until I attended myself that I understood what he meant. Every day we are bombarded with stories of hate, destruction and division. The world and America itself are focusing on differences rather than similarities. With the upcoming November elections, it often feels like America is at a crossroads for its soul. These Games showed me it is still possible for us to come together peacefully as human beings to celebrate as one. Within the Team USA House I saw men from Texas clapping and high-fiving New Yorkers when women’s gymnastics won. At athletics the British man next to me joined in on the French “Alles France” chants in celebration not mockery. These two weeks showed we are still far more alike than different. A notion I am going to try and remember in these upcoming months, and I hope others do the same.
