Rio reflections

One of the benefits of having recently spent a couple of weeks on holiday was that the break coincided with the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.  This meant that we could manage to watch a fair amount of the coverage, and even, on occasions, stay up into the early hours for particular events, knowing that we wouldn’t have to feel guilty having a lie-in to recover!

Overall, this has been an excellent Games for the British team.  Remarkably, the team have come away with more medals than they achieved during the 2012 London Olympics, and came second in the medals table, finishing above China.  Some have called Britain a “sporting superpower.”

For some competitors, their four years of hard work and preparation has paid off, with their dreams of Olympic gold having been realised, and there have been some outstanding successes.  Mo Farah managed to accomplish the “double-double, having repeated his 2012 gold medal success in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres; Andy Murray was among a number of British athletes who were able to gain a second successive Olympic gold medal in their event.  Max Whitlock became the most successful ever British gymnast, winning two individual gold medals and a team bronze. The British women’s hockey team won a dramatic penalty shoot-out in their final match against the Netherlands, amidst scenes of great joy and celebration.  The British cycling team’s achievements were astounding, with the “golden couple” of Jason Kenny and Laura Trott now having won 10 Olympic gold medals between them.  The list of successes was a long one.

For others, however, their dreams lie in tatters, some losing out by the tiniest of margins.  Adam Gemili, for example, came fourth in the 100 metres race, declaring himself to be gutted at missing out on a bronze medal by a mere three one thousandths of a second.  Lutalo Muhammad led his taekwondo bout until almost the last second when his opponent overtook him with a scoring kick, leaving the British athlete distraught and in tears.  Well-known diver Tom Daley stated that he was heartbroken at failing to reach the final of the 10m platform diving competition, despite being one of the favourites for gold.

In a sense, of course, the varying experiences of the British Olympians reflect the realities of life in general.  Every person’s life has its ups and downs, its successes and failures, its good times and its very tough times.  The important question for us all is how we manage to deal with whatever life throws at us.  Some gold medal winners may feel that the pinnacle of their sporting career has been reached and they can now rest on their laurels; for others, it will be an incentive to strive for even greater success in the future.  Perhaps some who experienced bitter disappointment will have been scarred forever by the experience; others will find failure to be a driving force for the future.

The apostle Paul wrote this to Christians in Philippi, ‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength’ (Phil. 4:11-13).  Paul found his strength, purpose and fulfillment in his relationship with Christ, which meant that the ups and downs of life didn’t shake his confidence.

However wonderful it must be to win an Olympic gold medal, there is something of far greater and lasting value to which we are called.  Paul himself uses the image of an athlete when he writes, ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever’ (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).  What we have in relationship with Christ Jesus is of far greater and more lasting value than an Olympic gold medal!