It has been two weeks since London 2012 took flight and so far there has been a balanced mix of tears of joy, tears of defeat and unexpected mishaps that proved to be epically costly.
But whatever the case, one-thing remains the same – the spirit of the games never fails to deliver in the inspiration category.
We have an official Golden Girl and her name is Gabby Douglas and her story of persistence and triumph is definitely something fairy tales are made of but it didn’t start off so rosy. The 16 year-old Olympic champion who managed to secure the all-round star endowment had to endure intense periods of separation from her mother in order to fulfill her training requirements and also work with the best coach in the league, Liang Chow. But it all paid off, and now Douglas can proudly accept her accolades as well as the realization that she is now the first African-American gymnast to take the Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around event and the first American to declare victory in the team events and the all-around.
It all sounds rather heavy duty for a pint sized teen but she has no problem carrying the load of her success with dignity and grace and hopefully she will be the torch that passes on to future generations who will need that beacon of hope to carry them through the tough times that will undoubtedly lie ahead.
Michael Phelps claimed his 18th gold medal and finally convinced the world once and for all that his unrivaled achievements was no fluke; he really was and is a force to be reckoned with and his legacy will remain untarnished.
Tennis wonder Serena Williams has had quite a year, after dazzling at Wimbledon a few weeks ago, she continued her winning streak at London 2012 and beat out Maria Sharapova, who was representing her home country Russia for the very first time. Both women set the stage for a theatrical feat, complete with the Ali vs. Frazier element. They were armed with illustrious careers and monumental resolve, but Williams’ steady confidence and unrelenting spirit put her on the path paved with gold. Despite the snafu during the medal ceremony when the United States flag became unhinged and floated carelessly in the air before settling on the ground, Serena Williams remained calm, cool and collected, a demeanor that has obviously served her well.
For more comprehensive coverage of Olympics 2012 click here.