Cate
Campbell continues to amaze me.
It's not
her athletic prowess, her gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay or even the
fact that she holds the world record for 100m freestyle.
It's the
way she's handled herself in the past two weeks.
In the
face of scrutiny and criticism by the media and Australian public over her
"choke" in the 100m freestyle final at the Rio Olympics, she has been
stoic and courageous. I cannot begin to imagine the pressure that Cate was
faced with in the days before the race. But mostly, the pressure she placed on
herself to succeed. A dream she had been chasing after for many years. Years of
early mornings and hard work in and out of the pool. And to have that crushed
in a matter of seconds must be awfully painful to deal with.
While
Cate wasn't able to grab a gold medal, she was able to do something much more
difficult and valuable, and that was to remain dignified in the face of
failure. Not once did she make excuses for her performance. She didn't blame
anyone, rather, she thanked everyone for their support. And when she said to
Australia, "please still love me," I thought, how can we not? You are
the definition of a strong female athlete, one that all young women should look
up to.
It would
be an understatement to say that the countless interviews asking the same
questions and unwavering media attention have been overwhelming for the young
athlete. It would be mentally exhausting. It would be totally reasonable for
any person under that sort of pressure to snap. Yet Cate has held herself
beautifully.
If
there's one word to sum up Cate Campbell's run at the Rio Olympics, it is
RESILIENCE. What a wonderful attribute to have developed and been able to
showcase in the face of adversity! A few days ago, news came out revealing
Cate's hernia. Cate swam at the Olympics with a hernia, which can be terribly
painful and won a gold and silver medal and set a world record, feats not to be
diminished.
Still,
she has been harsh on herself. Too harsh. With time the wounds of coming up short
will heal. It is important to remember that while Olympic athletes are elite
performers, they are human first. And humans are fallible.
Thank you
Cate, for swimming for Australia. But mostly, thank you for inspiring me to be
a fearless competitor and remain dignified in the tough times. If you do swim
in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Australia will be rooting for you, cheering you on as
loud as ever.
