The Olympics is all about valour, determination, and strength; mental and physical strength. The Rio Olympics has already thrown its share of fairy tale stories – stories which, at times, overshadow what goes on in the stadiums.
Be it the participation of the Refugee team – a team which is composed of 10 refugees from across the world, which includes Yusra Mardini, a 17-year old swimmer from Syria, who was one of thousands to flee Syria during their civil war. What is even more remarkable is that she pushed the boat that she was in after the boat’s motor failed.
Mardini capped off her fairytale-like story at the Olympics by winning the 100m butterfly heat and ranked 41st out of 45 swimmers. She did not qualify to the next round but her dogged determination to make it alive out of her war-torn nation and then participate in the grandest sports spectacle of them all, struck a chord with people all around the world and gives hope to those that face tough situations.
Then, there are stories close to home. Dipa Karmakar was an unknown name to many in her home nation of India, now, she’s a name that is widely known not only across India but around the world. Her story is also one of perseverance to achieve something that no India has done ever before.
She’s the first female gymnast from India to qualify for the Olympics. She’s not done, though. She’s gunning for gold and to land the incredible Produnova vault; a gymnastics vault which is considered deadly.
And on August 13, 2016, another remarkable incident happened at the Women's 3000m Steeplechase which epitomises what the Olympics is all about – determination, grit and resolve in the most demanding situations. The athlete in question is Etenesh Diro, an athlete from Ethiopia who is a 3000m Steeplechase specialist.
The steeplechase is an event which includes 3000 metres of running – which in itself is arduous but also has the added obstacle of jumping over barriers and water jumps.
While running on the track, Diro fell down and lost her shoe. After a few attempts at putting her shoe back on, which proved futile, Diro threw her shoe to a side and ran the rest of the race with only one shoe on and barefoot on the other.
Her attempt to run barefoot was cheered on loudly by the people in the stadium which propelled her to finish the race. After crossing the line, she sat on the ground and held her barefoot, grimacing in pain.
She finished the race 9:34.70 and placed 24th out of 52 athletes. She initially finished outside the qualifying time, but after lodging a protest, her result was overturned and she will now feature in the final on August 15th.
