The balancing act of competition and emotions
I geek out a lot on endurance sports stories. It's my thing . In 2023 there were some stories that are worth revisiting. Here are some of my favourites and and my takeways at the end.
#1
This was from the dying stages of the Tokyo Olympics men marathon race. Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands cheering an exhausted Bashir Abdi from Belgium. With less than a kilometre away, it was a three-way battle between them and Kenyan Lawrence Cherono. Nageeye saw Abdi struggling with cramps. He slowed down to cheer and encourage him to close the gap. That helped Abdi to find the lost gear and cross the line to get the Bronze after Nageeye got Silver. Nageyee & Abdi were both born in Somalia and fled the country to become refugee elsewhere for a better life.
#2
Spanish athlete Ricardo Rosado stopped before the finish line to assist Kenyan Evans Kimtai to finish before him at Málaga Marathon in Spain. Kiprono was struggling with physical exhaustion and was slowing down. Rosado was right behind him and instead of taking advantage of the situation which is perfectly normal, he slowed down and assisted Kiprono to cross the finish line before him by pushing him. He sacrificed his position and €500 of bonus money.
#3
Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan offering water bottle to Ethipoian Yalemzerf Yehualaw at London marathon. This race will be written in the history books for many reasons and has a lesson of grit & determination for ages. Right from the start, Hassan was written off by the commentators as she was limping with pain for most part of the race. At one point, she was nearly hit by the lead motorbike while trying to get to her water bottle. She realised her rival Yehualaw had missed her bottle. So she offered water to her while trying to catchup with her competitors. Eventually, Sifan who was running her debut marathon won the race.
I wrote about it earlier here https://twitter.com/kmr_dilip/status/1650789557468823552
#4
Daniel Simiu saluting Sabastian Sawe at the Half Marathon at the World Road Running Championships. Both Kenyans were leading the race. And in the final stretch, Sawe overtook Simiu. Simiu realised he can't match up to the pace and made a gesture of smiling at Sawe and giving him a salute.
My takeways from these stories:
1) To be a fast runner is a corrupt goal. It limits your ability to appreciate why and how you started running.
2) After big wins or devastating defeats, the medicine is the same—getting back to doing the work itself.
3) It's satisfying seeing someone achieve hard things with a smile and comfort.
4) Being nice to people is the easiest career competitive advantage.
5) The difference between a good athlete and a great one is that a good athlete is concerned more about the outcome while a great one is fascinated by the process of learning.
6) To win is to overcome others. Victory is to overcome yourself.