The Olympics never fails to deliver high-stakes drama, with the highs and lows of inspiring wins and crushing losses. But in the recent Paris games, there seemed to be even more profound storylines than ever before. Here are some of the takeaways from Simone Biles cementing her legacy after her mental health collapse in the Tokyo Olympics, skateboarding legend Andy Macdonald proving that age really is just a number, and Cole Hocker shocking the world in the men's 1500m.
Coming Back from the Brink
When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came around, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps were no longer dominating like they had in the previous three Games, having both retired from track and swimming, respectively. While LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and the rest of Team USA basketball had a high profile and Katie Ledecky and several other swimmers were primed to own the pool, there was arguably only one transcendent star: Simone Biles.
Let’s rewind to see why. At age 15, she was too young to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. But just two years later, she skyrocketed to stardom in the world championships, claiming four gold medals and repeating the feat the following summer. So in 2016, she arrived at the Rio Games on a roll. Capturing the hearts of fans everywhere, Biles beat teammate Aly Raisman to the top of the individual all-around podium and added bronze on the beam to go with golds in the vault, floor, and team competitions. In the next few years, she set a record with 25 world championships medals, including five golds in 2019.
Firmly in her prime heading into the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, Biles was expected by just about everyone to repeat her heroics. Despite some missteps, she qualified for all the individual finals, but posted on Instagram that “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”
Previously, she’d handled the load, but during the team competition, failed to land her vault well. She left the floor, withdrew from the team contest, and later pulled out of her individual finals. “I say put mental health first,” Biles said. “Because if you don't, then you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it's OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it."
She took two years off to work on her mindset, coming back to win two golds and a silver in the 2023 world championships. When the Paris Olympics began, nobody knew if the ghosts of Tokyo would come back to haunt her. They did not. Biles won silver in the floor, gold in the vault and team competition, and then became the oldest competitor by seven years to win the all-around event at age 27.
The takeaway is clear: your body cannot perform unless your mind is right. If it isn’t, take time to tackle the anxiety, depression, trauma, or whatever other issue is bothering you. Biles’s example offers hope that mental health issues aren’t permanent and that even if you have to pull back for a while, you can still return to your best.
Mixing it Up in Middle Age
A lot of Olympians make headlines for being the youngest in their sports, whereas Andy Macdonald rolled his skateboard in the park contest in Paris as a married father of three. At age 51, he was more than 30 years older than his competitors. One of the things that initially set Macdonald apart from his peers after he turned pro in 1993 was his clean living: no drinking, drugs, or smoking. This enabled him to stay in the game for decades rather than flaming out. As a result, he set an X Games record with 23 golds, nine silvers, and two bronzes in vert skating.
So while his Olympic competitors had youth on their side, Macdonald wasn’t intimidated. “I have an advantage in that I have obviously much more experience in skating in competition and what it takes to mentally prepare and physically prepare," he told Reuters. “I have a lot of insight as far as technique and different trick variations that maybe they haven’t heard of or haven’t thought of yet and they can try.”
While he didn’t qualify for the final, Macdonald was clearly the crowd favorite during the qualifying round and landed a madonna and a body varial 540 during two runs that got spectators on their feet. “I definitely won the gold medal for most fun,” Macdonald said.
As a story in Inc. states, “Think you're over the hill? Andy Macdonald's inspirational story (and a bunch of science) shows you might just be on the long road to success.” The article went on to state that a 50-year-old entrepreneur is twice as likely to succeed as a 35-year-old one, and most Nobel Prize winners are over 40. In other words, it’s more than OK to be a late bloomer. Perhaps your path has primed you to hit a late peak, so keep going. And remember that while society often favors youth, Macdonald and his 23 X Games golds show that there’s nothing like decades of experience and consistent excellence.
Finishing Strong
Going into the men’s 1500m – traditionally one of the most prestigious track and field events – at the Paris games, all eyes were on Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2020 and Josh Kerr, the Brit who unexpectedly beat him to win the world championships in Eugene last year. The two had turned the rivalry into a smack talk fest in the weeks leading up to the event, with the media fueling the fire. So it’s unsurprising that American Cole Hocker came into the race as a largely unheralded podium threat.
It’s not as if Hocker hadn’t done anything to warrant the respect of his opponents before these Olympics. At the University of Oregon, he won national championships in the mile 1500m, and 3000m. After turning pro, Hocker won multiple US titles, and earlier this year won the silver medal in the 1500m at the world indoor championships. But few people expected him to still be in the running with the stars in the Olympics. Heading into the home straight, Ingebrigtsen had the lead, and like he had in 2023’s world championships, Kerr passed him and looked destined for glory. But Hocker timed his finishing kick to perfection, overtaking the Brit to win gold in the final few strides.
It turns out that the win wasn’t a fluke. “I wasn’t thinking with 150 to go that I was going to run a fast time, I was thinking I’m going to win, and that’s kind of what it came down to,” Hocker told RUN. “I do a lot of workouts in which I change gears for this kind of situation. For the 1500, though, you just have to build fitness above all. I think I did that this year the best I ever have. I knew the caliber of guys I was racing, and I knew it would take a special day.”
Hocker’s unexpected win holds three lessons. First, it’s OK to let others have the spotlight while you prepare quietly and competently. In fact, if you fly under the radar, there will be less pressure on you. Second, the old cliché that “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” is very true. Make sure you have enough left in the tank to complete important projects. Third, know where your strengths lie and plan accordingly. It might’ve seemed like a last-minute mad dash, but Hocker’s strong finish was actually part of his plan. So rather than paying too much attention to what others are doing, run your own race and stick to your strategy.