10 Serious Lessons We Learned From The Rio Olympics

1. If you fall down always get back up. Both Mo Farah and Meb fell during their Olympic races, 10K and marathon respectively. Mo went on to win and Meb went on to win everyone’s hearts.
2. Even if you make a mistake, keep going. The USA Women’s 4×100 Relay team went on to win gold after contact in the qualifying heats led them to drop their baton. Allyson Felix instructed her teammates to at least finish the race, giving them their shot at gold.
3. You can always do more than you think, like run a mile with a torn ACL (although that is not recommended). Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin collided in the qualifying heat of the women’s 5,000 meters, Abbey helped Hamblin up and later Hamblin returned the favor. Both went on to finish the race, Abbey running with a torn ACL.
4. Even if you get passed up the first time around, you will get your time to shine. Danell Leyva, a USA Men’s Gymnast, was initially selected as an alternate to the USA Men’s Gymnastics team. He went on to compete after his teammate was injured in training and won silver medals in the parallel bars and high bar.
5. Sometimes you just need to dive for it, if you want it really bad. Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas dove across the line in the 400-meter women’s race to beat Allyson Felix for the gold.
6. Dance like the world is watching. Weightlifter David Katoatau from Kiribati, a small island country in the South Pacific, danced at the Rio Games to bring awareness to the effect of climate change on his country.
7. You can look to the side and still win gold. In his 100-meter win, Usain Bolt glanced to the side smiling big for the cameras. Chad Le Clos famously glanced to the side during his race with Michael Phelps and instantly became a meme about “losers.”
8. Focus on what you can control and you can do big things. USA’s Kristin Armstrong, age 43 and winner of the gold medal in the cycling time trial, said she ‘focuses on what she can control’ when asked about a competitor who had just completed a ban for doping.
9. Be yourself and you’ll find what lights your spark. USA’s Ibtihaj Muhammad tried multiple sports before finding fencing as the perfect outlet for her to pursue sport while adhering to the tenets of her Muslim faith. She went on to win bronze in women’s team saber.
10. If you have an embarrassing night, it’s gets more embarrassing if you lie about it. This one needs no explanation.

Read More:
Some U.S. Women Who Slayed These Olympics
4 Takeaways For Everyday Runners From Athletes In Rio