Story #1: The Greatest Olympian Ever
Michael Phelps over the course of 4 Olympics has won 18 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, for a total of 22 medals (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. He raced in Sydney but did not medal). In Beijing, Phelps won 8 gold medals, the most anyone has won during a single Games. Over the course of his career, he set 39 world records and holds seven currently. Sadly, this was the last contest of his career. Phelps won't be competing in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 games. Now some people don't like Phelps, which I can understand. He did make some majorly bad choices in his life and most of the problems he ran into where if his own making. Yet he over came them, all of them. He came back and still won, he proved to me that he IS the greatest Olympian ever; and honestly that's all that matters. Feel free to tell me your opinion but mine is still out there. Agree or disagree with me you still have to admit that he has had some amazing races.
Story #2: Pushing the Envelope
"Having a disability doesn't have to be a disadvantage."
- Oscar Pistorius
Oscar proved that having his legs amputated at a young age won't stop him from running at the highest level. To even compete in the Olympic trials his prosthetics were tested to death, making sure that there was no way that they gave him an advantage. But in the Games themselves, he didn't medal. In his solo race he made it into the semifinals but didn't make it into the finals. The winner of that semi traded name tags with Oscar as a show of respect for what he did. In the 4x400m relay race the South Africa team was initially knocked out when another relay runner ran into the South African runner (who did something to his elbow, it was never clear to me what exactly the injury was). The South Africa team filed for an investigation and it was proven that the other runner was across the line in South Africa's lane, so they were put in the final as an additional team. The South Africa team just didn't have enough to help give Oscar a chance at a medal. He ran the anchor leg of the race but the three runners before him struggled. Once the baton got into his hand he ran like the wind going from 8th to 5th by the end.
Sure he didn't win a medal in these Games but he tried, did his best, and loved every minute of it. So way to go Oscar, you showed everyone that just because you have a disability it doesn't change anything.
Sure he didn't win a medal in these Games but he tried, did his best, and loved every minute of it. So way to go Oscar, you showed everyone that just because you have a disability it doesn't change anything.
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