With the games about to end and the closing ceremony only hours away I was thinking about all the kiwi athletes who will be returning soon to our fair land and what kind of welcome they'll come back to. Personally i find it incredible to comprehend how years of dedicated training is put into a sport which culminates in what can be (in the case of swimming for example) an event which is over and done with in a matter of minutes. Your reputation possibly enhanced beyond belief or taking a real battering if you haven't "lived up to expectation". There has been lots of talk about "negative headspace", "poor tactical choices" etc as if these top athletes are never supposed to have a bad day at the office! Surely none of them ever put in the incredible effort for themselves, their families, their sponsors etc. only to deliberately perform below par when the crunch comes. Lets give them the slap on the back they all deserve for representing us so well and enjoy their successes. For those returning without medals (which are the ultimate prize to bring back) they deserve just as much celebration knowing they gave it their all but on the day were beaten by either better (or sometimes luckier) competitors. Three cheers for the kiwi olympic team - hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray!!
p.s. any bets on what faux displays there might be at the closing ceremony.....(just had to say it)
Originally Posted by Katman
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