Made with Love

Olympic Insirations

LickingGravity

Reviewer
Joined Sep 9, 2010
Messages 4,747
I watch the Olympics, not to see the favourites win and not to watch the obvious professionals win (tennis or basketball for example). I watch it for people accomplishing something extraordinary, for people that have reached far and beyond. Like the Korean archer, who is legally blind, setting a new world record today.

I'm going to start this thread with a profile of perhaps the most amazing female athlete that this country has ever produced. Clara Hughes



About Clara

Winter sport? Summer sport? Clara Hughes is an athlete for all seasons. She’s one of the biggest stories to emerge in Canadian sports, and she’s not finished yet. A six-time Olympic medalist in cycling and speed skating; she’s the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. She’s back on the bike with her eyes firmly set on London 2012. But there’s far more to Clara than athletic achievements.

For Clara, success means more than earning medals. It means having a voice and using the opportunity to reach out and help others. When she uses this voice, it’s loud and clear.

After winning gold in 2006, Clara donated $10,000 of her personal savings to the Right to Play programs. This donation challenged Canadians to support the cause, raising over half a million dollars for the international humanitarian organization that uses sport for development. In 2010, she donated her $10,000 medal bonus to the Vancouver inner city school program, ‘Take a Hike’, which uses adventure based learning to give youth at risk a better direction in life.

She is the National Spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Mental Health initiative and the ‘Let’s Talk’ campaign. By sharing past struggles with depression, Clara has helped break down the stigma associated with mental illness.

She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of Manitoba, holds honorary doctorates from various Canadian Universities and has been awarded the International Olympic Committee’s prestigious ‘Sport and the Community’ award for her commitment to promoting the values of sport and play around the world. Clara also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Clara was given the great honor of being the Canadian Flag Bearer for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, proudly leading the home team to its historic medal winning performance.

She’s an avid adventurer and enjoys bike touring, distance hiking and exploring with her husband Peter.

By giving back and connecting to her community and the world at large, Clara shows how it is possible to achieve your very best on and off the playing field.

Clara’s Vision

Since the beginning of her athletic career, Clara has held a special vision of what sport could be. Her pursuit of excellence has carried her to the top of her field in both cycling and speed skating. Her determination, dignity and integrity are forces which have driven her to go beyond what most people consider reasonable limits.

She has pursued her dreams through the world of sport, yet her ultimate goal has always been to motivate youth and inspire hope in others through her actions.

By setting an example of sportsmanship and creating a supportive environment in every team she has been a part of, Clara has supported and aided in the growth and development of many young athletes. She has never lost the connection of what it was like to be inspired for the first time in her life. This inspiration came when she was sixteen years old, and it came from sport.

Clara has always believed that knowledge becomes wisdom when it is shared with others. By remaining open to learning, open to growing, and most importantly, open to being inspired, she has shown what it’s like to live one’s dreams for over twenty years in sport.
About Clara




Outreach


 

LickingGravity

Reviewer
Joined Sep 9, 2010
Messages 4,747
web-archer.jpg
[h=1]Legally blind South Korean archer sets record at Olympics[/h]

Legally blind archer Im Dong-hyun set the first world records of the London Olympics, breaking his own record in the 72-arrow mark and helping South Korea set a team record during Friday’s ranking round.
Im broke the 72-arrow record he had set in Turkey in May by three points with a score of 699, hours before the 2012 Games official opening ceremony.
 
B

Boing

Guest
web-archer.jpg
Legally blind South Korean archer sets record at Olympics



Legally blind archer Im Dong-hyun set the first world records of the London Olympics, breaking his own record in the 72-arrow mark and helping South Korea set a team record during Friday’s ranking round.
Im broke the 72-arrow record he had set in Turkey in May by three points with a score of 699, hours before the 2012 Games official opening ceremony.

How does he do it if he is legally blind?.
 

LickingGravity

Reviewer
Joined Sep 9, 2010
Messages 4,747
Irish Gymnast Fails to Qualify for Finals



By LONDON – Kieran Behan, the Irish gymnast who defied odds to become an Olympian, walked into the gymnastics arena on Saturday and couldn’t control his emotions. All he had endured in a young life filled with serious injuries and bouncing back from them was flooding into his head.
“I had every emotion, every memory I’ve ever had; it just hit me right then,” he said with tears in his eyes.
As a boy, Behan, now 23, had a series of injuries, two so severe that doctors told him he would never walk again. Nerve damage from a botched leg operation left his foot numb and causes excruciating pain even if his leg is touched ever so gently. Brain damage caused by his head hitting the high bar in training left him struggling to do simple tasks such as moving his head or eating.
Yet he fought back to become an Olympian, a goal he has had since he was 6.
On Saturday, though, the plucky Behan lost focus. On the floor exercise, his best event, he stumbled on two of his landings for a disappointing score of 13.966 points. He also competed on vault and scored 13.933 points.
Behan, the first Irish gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, did not make the final in either event.
“I just got a bit of jelly legs, but at the end of the day, I’m going to hold my head up and smile,” he said.
As he spoke of his first Olympic experience, though, Behan could not stop the tears. He said he was overwhelmed by the support from family and friends that had helped him through his injuries. Without them, he said, he would never have become an Olympian in the first place. Competing here, he just couldn’t stop thinking of the sacrifices they had made for him.
 

Legit

Senior Member
Joined Apr 8, 2011
Messages 123
I watch the Olympics, not to see the favourites win and not to watch the obvious professionals win (tennis or basketball for example). I watch it for people accomplishing something extraordinary, for people that have reached far and beyond. Like the Korean archer, who is legally blind, setting a new world record today.

I'm going to start this thread with a profile of perhaps the most amazing female athlete that this country has ever produced. Clara Hughes



About Clara

Winter sport? Summer sport? Clara Hughes is an athlete for all seasons. She’s one of the biggest stories to emerge in Canadian sports, and she’s not finished yet. A six-time Olympic medalist in cycling and speed skating; she’s the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. She’s back on the bike with her eyes firmly set on London 2012. But there’s far more to Clara than athletic achievements.

For Clara, success means more than earning medals. It means having a voice and using the opportunity to reach out and help others. When she uses this voice, it’s loud and clear.

After winning gold in 2006, Clara donated $10,000 of her personal savings to the Right to Play programs. This donation challenged Canadians to support the cause, raising over half a million dollars for the international humanitarian organization that uses sport for development. In 2010, she donated her $10,000 medal bonus to the Vancouver inner city school program, ‘Take a Hike’, which uses adventure based learning to give youth at risk a better direction in life.

She is the National Spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Mental Health initiative and the ‘Let’s Talk’ campaign. By sharing past struggles with depression, Clara has helped break down the stigma associated with mental illness.

She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of Manitoba, holds honorary doctorates from various Canadian Universities and has been awarded the International Olympic Committee’s prestigious ‘Sport and the Community’ award for her commitment to promoting the values of sport and play around the world. Clara also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Clara was given the great honor of being the Canadian Flag Bearer for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, proudly leading the home team to its historic medal winning performance.

She’s an avid adventurer and enjoys bike touring, distance hiking and exploring with her husband Peter.

By giving back and connecting to her community and the world at large, Clara shows how it is possible to achieve your very best on and off the playing field.

Clara’s Vision

Since the beginning of her athletic career, Clara has held a special vision of what sport could be. Her pursuit of excellence has carried her to the top of her field in both cycling and speed skating. Her determination, dignity and integrity are forces which have driven her to go beyond what most people consider reasonable limits.

She has pursued her dreams through the world of sport, yet her ultimate goal has always been to motivate youth and inspire hope in others through her actions.

By setting an example of sportsmanship and creating a supportive environment in every team she has been a part of, Clara has supported and aided in the growth and development of many young athletes. She has never lost the connection of what it was like to be inspired for the first time in her life. This inspiration came when she was sixteen years old, and it came from sport.

Clara has always believed that knowledge becomes wisdom when it is shared with others. By remaining open to learning, open to growing, and most importantly, open to being inspired, she has shown what it’s like to live one’s dreams for over twenty years in sport.
About Clara




Outreach



Too bad, she finished 32nd on her race yesterday.
 

Recycler

Well-known member
Joined Dec 18, 2010
Messages 111

LickingGravity

Reviewer
Joined Sep 9, 2010
Messages 4,747
_61897451_61896446.jpg


[h=1]Olympics table tennis: Natalia Partyka happy with experience[/h]
Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka believes her Olympic experience will help her when she takes part at the London Paralympics.
The 23-year-old, who was born without a right forearm, lost 4-2 in her third round Olympic singles match to Jie Li of the Netherlands on Sunday.
"When I play here in the Paralympics I probably will be at an advantage, having played here already," she said.
"But everybody else will get the chance to practice here, so will be prepared."
Partyka is one of only two athletes, along with South Africa sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who will compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics this year.
 

train

Reviewer
Joined Apr 19, 2010
Messages 1,953
Irish Gymnast Fails to Qualify for Finals


I saw this performance and when I heard what this poor guy went through physically just to get here and to see him struggle brought a tear to my eye. His goal of competing probably helped his healing, but my goodness qualifying is tough enough if you were always healthy.

His neighbours did things like having bake sales to raise money to get him here.
 

LickingGravity

Reviewer
Joined Sep 9, 2010
Messages 4,747
ETON-DORNEY — Blazing a trail for rowing in Niger, the man known as the “Sculling Sloth” was back on the water Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Hamadou Djibo Issaka, he’s getting even slower.
The 35-year-old west African, who is competing at the London Olympics despite having only three months of proper rowing experience, has become an unlikely star of the 2012 games.
He captured the hearts of spectators and media alike with two painfully laboured displays in the men’s single sculls over the weekend, finishing nearly two minutes behind the winners of his heat and repechage.
But he hadn’t finished there. Complete with the warmest of smiles and an extraordinary spirit, Djibo Issaka lit up a grey day at Dorney Lake by pushing his body to the limit in a lower qualification race.




This year's Eddie the Eagle
 
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