I have tons of memories from watching the 2016 Women’s Olympic Triathlon. Memories of the excitement of seeing Gwen Jorgensen make the front pack and position herself perfectly on the bike. Memories of the disappointment when Sarah True crashed and then the mind-games Spirig tried to play on the run. It was an exciting race from start to finish but the memory that stood out to me above all others is Jorgensen crossing the line and breaking out into tears. Oddly, I did not expect it. Jorgensen had won most of the races over the last 2 years and was the heavy favorite, but yet, she still cried like she never really believed it would come true. It was beautiful – it was moving.
I am a crier, especially when it comes to people realizing their dreams. It does not really matter what the dream is – it moves me to see people accomplish something to which they have given a large portion of their life. I think this is why I love the Olympics so much: An Olympic medal is the pinnacle of sport and something that takes a tremendous sacrifice to achieve. Once achieved, it is special.
As Jorgensen crossed the line, her tears represented so much. They carried the weight of struggle, the fight through the ups and the downs, and the victory of accomplishing a goal. There was power in those tears, and it brought a well of emotion up inside of me.
We are all fighting for something, making sacrifices for something, and dreaming of something be it athletic or elsewhere. Allow Jorgensen’s tears to fuel you by giving you a picture of what accomplishing your goal looks like. In those tears, Jorgensen showed us it is all worth it. Go make your dream a reality today. Thank you Jorgensen.
