An Olympic Overdose

I'll be the first to admit it, the Paris Olympics had me glued to the TV.With coverage spread over the day, paired with the fact that it was over the summer break, there was little reason for me to do anything else.I found myself being immersed in the most unique sports.BMX racing, skateboarding, skeet shooting -you name it!I was laid on the sofa with my snacks prepared to become an expert on any sport within the first 10 minutes of watching it.Weren't we all?Whilst watching the Games, it became clear that although I tuned in to be entertained, I found myself quickly becoming inspired by the efforts of these athletes.It soon clicked that the most impressive achievement was not the athletes' individual brilliance in their respective sports, but the character they had shown in the years prior to become an Olympian and reach Paris in the first place.Upon this realisation, I reflected on a few lessons that could be taken and translated for us as dental students especially with the new academic year right around the corner.To highlight these lessons, I wanted to pair it with an Olympic story that really stuck out to me whilst watching the Games.A story of an athlete who truly embodies what it means to inspire.Let me introduce you to a British triathlete named Alex Yee.Growing up in London, he was first exposed to the triathlon scene by his father which spurred Alex to take up the sport.Through his junior career he excelled and was dubbed 'one to watch, ' but in 2017 he faced a huge setback.During one of his races, he crashed whilst on his bike and suffered broken ribs, vertebrae injuries and a collapsed lung.Would this be the end of his triathlete career before it had even properly started?Fortunately, it wasn't.He was able to recover and set out for Tokyo in 2021 for his first Olympics where he came home with a silver medal.Amazing right?However, for Alex, this wasn't enough.He wanted to be the best and that meant the gold medal.Fast forward to 2024 and Alex, more determined than ever, found himself at the start line of the Paris Olympics as one of the favourites.He came through a strong swim leg, matched it with a cycle that put him in the lead group, and now it was time for his favourite discipline -the run.Alex took a promising, early lead, but with the run being 10km it was still all to play for, and soon the British athlete slipped into second, overtaken by his great rival Hayden Wilde from New OVERDOSE