Paul Keenan
Paul Keenan discovers that divine inspiration wasn’t in short supply at the Rio Olympics
The world needs its heroes. Over the course of these past weeks, that simple truth has been writ large in the champion athletes weighed down with the hopes of their respective nations as they strive to go further, faster, higher for the glory of gold.
This year’s Games in sultry Rio de Janeiro have been no different, with the narrative of heroes focusing on key names who, through their example, present us with the very best of humanity. Thus it is that, regardless of nationality, one instantly recognises the champion credentials of Usain Bolt; one cannot fail to think of Michael Phelps and ‘ultimate Olympian’ in the same instant; for national pride, think boxing and at once Katie Taylor and her Tricoloured trail comes to the mind’s eye.
This Olympics more than others has been marked by one other name, however, and one that has been on the lips of the champions themselves in voicing the example they seek to emulate in reaching to and past the podium. There can surely have been no previous Olympics in which the name of God has been so vocally invoked as the spur to greatness.
Credentials
Irish audiences, of course, will be very aware of Katie Taylor’s Christian ‘credentials’, given her unabashed willingness to speak of her faith, even in a climate not always friendly to such testimonies.
Only this past March she said as much during an interview of the cold house that Ireland can be today for expressions of faith. Nevertheless, she continues to insist that if she experiences doubts in competition, “that’s when I have to cling onto God and cling to the Scriptures and to focus on what God is saying and not take every thought captive”.
For good measure, Katie’s website continues to offer her favourite psalms, including 28:7: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him.’
No less vocal on the strength gained from belief in God is four-time medal winning swimmer Maya DiRado of Team USA, who has said: “Knowing that I’m a child of God and that his love for me is determined by nothing I can achieve or do on my own has given me a quiet confidence. I think that my faith has helped me chart my own course and pursue my goals when people around me may be going in different directions.”
Importantly, though, the grounded DiRado also stresses that “as for my swimming career, my faith has helped me remember that there are so many more important things in life worth doing.”
A sentiment shared by champion diver Steele Johnson, also of the USA, who was quoted in these pages last week attesting “my identity is rooted in Christ” as the media sought the source of his athletic prowess.
Beyond the pool, the gymnastics arena has presented the diminutive and dynamic form of Simone Biles. Her story of rising above dire poverty and neglect to scoop every major prize in her sport before the ultimate glory of Olympic gold had hearts soaring in Rio and beyond.
Alongside that ribboned medal, Simone also wears her rosary and medal to St Sabastian, clinging to her belief that her faith is the source of everything for her.
Similarly, the Olympian giant that is Usain Bolt hardly needs more medals to wear, yet he chooses to bear his Miraculous Medal at all times when competing, and makes the sign of the cross before races in reflection of his Catholic upbringing.
Media darling
Another champion of the track, and one inspired by Bolt, is South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk. The man who smashed the 400 metres world record in Rio was already a media darling for his story of being trained by his 74-year-old grandmother. But there was yet another element to his tale, as he explained to the milling press pack.
“Tonight God just showed how faithful he’s been in my life and I’m just very grateful for the continuous blessing that he’s given me in my life, each and every competition, each and every round. It’s a challenging competition, this Olympics, but I mean he’s blessed me so much tonight and I’m really, really thankful.”
And when the talking is done, there is Christian example. Thus we have the ‘Darling of the Games’, 19-year-old Yusra Mardini of Syria and member of the Refugee team.
Her path to the Olympics was literally one of sacrifice and trial. Forced from her Damascus home by the shattering conflict there, Yusra became a hero long before Rio when she dived into the dark waters of the Mediterranean to drive her stricken refugee boat to shore, saving the lives of dozens of non-swimmers aboard.
Today, entitled to boast of her gold medal in swimming, she instead told those jostling for a champion’s narrative: “I want to continue swimming and I want to continue supporting refugees.”
Gold and God together.The world needs its heroes. Over the course of these past weeks, that simple truth has been writ large in the champion athletes weighed down with the hopes of their respective nations as they strive to go further, faster, higher for the glory of gold.
This year’s Games in sultry Rio de Janeiro have been no different, with the narrative of heroes focusing on key names who, through their example, present us with the very best of humanity. Thus it is that, regardless of nationality, one instantly recognises the champion credentials of Usain Bolt; one cannot fail to think of Michael Phelps and ‘ultimate Olympian’ in the same instant; for national pride, think boxing and at once Katie Taylor and her Tricoloured trail comes to the mind’s eye.
This Olympics more than others has been marked by one other name, however, and one that has been on the lips of the champions themselves in voicing the example they seek to emulate in reaching to and past the podium. There can surely have been no previous Olympics in which the name of God has been so vocally invoked as the spur to greatness.
Credentials
Irish audiences, of course, will be very aware of Katie Taylor’s Christian ‘credentials’, given her unabashed willingness to speak of her faith, even in a climate not always friendly to such testimonies.
Only this past March she said as much during an interview of the cold house that Ireland can be today for expressions of faith. Nevertheless, she continues to insist that if she experiences doubts in competition, “that’s when I have to cling onto God and cling to the Scriptures and to focus on what God is saying and not take every thought captive”.
For good measure, Katie’s website continues to offer her favourite psalms, including 28:7: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him.’
No less vocal on the strength gained from belief in God is four-time medal winning swimmer Maya DiRado of Team USA, who has said: “Knowing that I’m a child of God and that his love for me is determined by nothing I can achieve or do on my own has given me a quiet confidence. I think that my faith has helped me chart my own course and pursue my goals when people around me may be going in different directions.”
Importantly, though, the grounded DiRado also stresses that “as for my swimming career, my faith has helped me remember that there are so many more important things in life worth doing.”
A sentiment shared by champion diver Steele Johnson, also of the USA, who was quoted in these pages last week attesting “my identity is rooted in Christ” as the media sought the source of his athletic prowess.
Beyond the pool, the gymnastics arena has presented the diminutive and dynamic form of Simone Biles. Her story of rising above dire poverty and neglect to scoop every major prize in her sport before the ultimate glory of Olympic gold had hearts soaring in Rio and beyond.
Alongside that ribboned medal, Simone also wears her rosary and medal to St Sabastian, clinging to her belief that her faith is the source of everything for her.
Similarly, the Olympian giant that is Usain Bolt hardly needs more medals to wear, yet he chooses to bear his Miraculous Medal at all times when competing, and makes the sign of the cross before races in reflection of his Catholic upbringing.
Media darling
Another champion of the track, and one inspired by Bolt, is South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk. The man who smashed the 400 metres world record in Rio was already a media darling for his story of being trained by his 74-year-old grandmother. But there was yet another element to his tale, as he explained to the milling press pack.
“Tonight God just showed how faithful he’s been in my life and I’m just very grateful for the continuous blessing that he’s given me in my life, each and every competition, each and every round. It’s a challenging competition, this Olympics, but I mean he’s blessed me so much tonight and I’m really, really thankful.”
And when the talking is done, there is Christian example. Thus we have the ‘Darling of the Games’, 19-year-old Yusra Mardini of Syria and member of the Refugee team.
Her path to the Olympics was literally one of sacrifice and trial. Forced from her Damascus home by the shattering conflict there, Yusra became a hero long before Rio when she dived into the dark waters of the Mediterranean to drive her stricken refugee boat to shore, saving the lives of dozens of non-swimmers aboard.
Today, entitled to boast of her gold medal in swimming, she instead told those jostling for a champion’s narrative: “I want to continue swimming and I want to continue supporting refugees.”
Gold and God together.