Champion In Our Hearts

Three times a silver medallist at the Olympics - Beijing, London and now Rio - one must feel for Lee Chong Wei, especially us Malaysians. To come so close to reaching the pinnacle of sport, it must be somewhat disheartening at times for the standard-bearer of Malaysian badminton. However, how many athletes can lay claim to winning three silver medals at three successive Olympic Games?

Sure, there will always be those who have done better, but there are many, many more who will never achieve the level of success that Chong Wei has achieved. He ought to be proud, and so do we. We certainly will him on during important matches, and go along for the emotional ride each time, as individuals and as a nation. 

A champion in our hearts, always.

Chong Wei at Rio 2016.

Smile Medal Winners!

Often at the Olympic Games, it is interesting to see the difference in the attitudes of some athletes when they win silver or bronze rather than gold. Sure, the ultimate goal is to be on top of the podium, but becoming a silver or bronze medallist is a pretty significant feat too I would think. But some of the glum expressions on the lower steps of the podium certainly do not attest to such a narrative. 

With that said, it is therefore extremely uplifting when we see second and third place finishers celebrate with pure joy, honouring the hard work that have been put in and sacrifices that have been made in preparation to be amongst the best in the world. Be it tears brought on by emotion or massive hugs with team-mates, the smiles on the faces of these athletes truly exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship, that having earned a medal is just the icing on the cake, and that the act of participation with one's fellow athletes is what matters more. 

Although no successful sportsman myself, I do believe that the joy of participation is under-rated and should be the focus, rather than just aiming for that Olympic gold medal. For the many who participate and who will never win a medal, I think this certainly holds true. 

Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow celebrate winning bronze for Great Britain in the men's platform synchronised diving at Rio 2016. 

Olympic Park In Beijing

With the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics coming up next month, it seems appro-priate to have visited the Olympic Park in Beijing a couple of weeks back. 

I remember vividly watching the 2008 Olympic Games, awed by the stunning images of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, venues in which the best in the world showed off their athletic prowess and revelled in their performances after much training and sacrifice. To see these architectural feats in person is indeed an experience that I am grateful for. 

When upfront with these innovative structures, one gets a sense of inspiration. Inspiration to move forward with faith and hope, embracing the challenges and rewards that life has to offer. Indeed, I see such inspiration as a catalyst to work towards greater things in life.

Trying to run at the Olympic Park in Beijing, China.

London 2012

The London Olympics are here. With the time difference, I am antici-pating some crazy sleep patterns in the next few weeks. I typically only follow a few sports during the Olympics - swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field.

Swimming of course is the sport I am best at, so naturally I am an avid fan. I hope Ryan Lochte (USA) will win at least either the 200m or 400m individual medley and enroute to the gold beat Michael Phelps (USA). I wish Leisel Jones (AUS) well and hope that she proves her critics wrong when she races in the 100m breastroke. I look forward to seeing James Magnussen (AUS) smash the 100m freestyle world record. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) will perhaps create history by taking the 100m and 200m breastroke double for the third Olympics in a row. I'd also like to see the English swimmers do well in their home Olympics. As for diving, I hope the Malaysian divers will at least make the finals of their events. Who knows, they may spring a surprise or two. It would be great if divers representing different countries can prevent a Chinese clean sweep. Matthew Mitcham (AUS) defending his 10m platform title would be awesome or perhaps Tom Daley may win the event for the home team.

So much to follow, so little time to do so. I ought to come up with a game plan on how to catch as much of the sporting action as I can. Each Olympic Games has its own inspiring stories to tell. Here's to a great London Games.

Ryan Lochte in the pool.