Beyond The Gold

The 2020 Summer Olympics recently wrapped up in Tokyo, and, while I don’t proclaim to be as diligent in practicing an active lifestyle as I should be, I relish watching these elite athletes compete in their given sport.

Of course, like most things taking place in the current climate, this wasn’t your ordinary games. For starters, it was called the 2020 Summer Olympics, a glaring reminder of the cancellations and delays created by COVID-19. There were many firsts: masks with country emblems were on display, fans were noticeably absent and families cheered their athlete from the other side of the world.

Despite this, and the misgivings that surrounded moving forward with the games because of the pandemic, there were several valuable lessons from these Olympics to be learned. For starters, we witnessed the ultimate celebration of the human spirit — a moment when comradery, resilience and solidarity take center stage regardless of our many differences. Who can forget the moment Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar embraced as they decided to share the gold in the High Jump? Or watching Russia’s Angelina Melnikova performance on the balance beam as the U.S. gymnast team cheered her on?

Many moving stories came at a much-needed time. Take, for example, 18-year-old Ahmed Hafnaoui, who surprised the world (and, by his reaction, himself!) by winning gold in the men’s 400-meter freestyle swimming event. It was the 5th medal ever won by his country of Tunisia. Thirty-year-old Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz snagged a gold — her country’s first after a 96-year dry run. For the U.S., track star (and mom to 2 ½ year old, Cammy) Allyson Felix won 11 medals, surpassing Carl Lewis as the most decorated American Olympian runner while superstar gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from competition, placing prioritizing mental health care front and center in the public conversation of competitive sports. 

The United States came home with the most medals: 113 in total, 39 of which are gold — an achievement worthy of praise and celebration all on its own. Beyond the bling though, the Olympic Games reminds us to celebrate our humanity — what makes us good, what makes us great even, when we push to our limit — inspired and cheered by our peers, our competitors and ourselves. 

An experience like that is worth its weight in gold.

Happy Reading,

Alona Abbady Martinez

alona@bocaratonobserver.com