Saya Sakakibara wasn’t sure if she’d be lining up for the women’s BMX final at the 2024 Paris Olympics after her COVID diagnosis earlier last week.
The 24-year-old did not only that—she raced away with Australia’s first BMX gold medal in a convincing win.
Sakakibara’s triumph comes after she almost quit the sport due to ongoing concussion symptoms a year after she was knocked unconscious in the Tokyo semi-finals.
It also came four days after her brother Kai’s birthday. His BMX crash at Bathurst in 2020 left him in a coma for more than two months and in hospital nearly a year, ending his own career in the sport.
On Friday, watched by Kai, Sakakibara crossed the line in Paris donning his number 77 plate.
Sakakibara’s tale paints the true heart of these games that come around every four years.
Controversy and drama have engulfed this Olympics, but the joys of triumph and its accompanying resilience in the face of adversity remains at the games’ core.
Christmas in July has come and gone, but this is the real reason for the season for global sport fanatics.
Who wouldn’t be moved by table tennis player of Chinese origin Zhiyeng Zeng who became the older person to ever make her Olympic debut in Paris at the ripe old age of 58 for Chile?
Zhiyeng turned professional at just age 12 and was originally called up to the Chinese table tennis team at 16 before new rules ahead of the 1988 Olympics regarding paddles threw off her game and led to her exit from the sport.
In 1989 she took on a role coaching school kids in Chile where she remained, but soon left table tennis behind forever. Zhiyeng wouldn’t pick up a paddle again until the COVID pandemic hit.
Last week, Zhiyeng’s 92-year-old father stayed awake until 5am in China to watch his daughter finally realise her Olympic dream.
Though Zhiyeng went on to lose in the preliminary rounds, her story has made waves for all the right reasons.
Competitors like Zhiyeng are placing the spotlight back on the stars of the games.
This year’s athletes have already made their countries proud. Between breaking records and defying the odds, they’ve reminded everyone they are more than the games.
The world is often captivated by what the human body can do when pushed to the absolute limits in competition, but is likewise captivated by what the human spirit can endure.
Isn’t this what brings nations together?
The modern iteration of the Olympics was revived in 1896 to be a vehicle of unity and regeneration on a national and international scale.
The same vision remains in 2024.
From competing pregnant athletes, endless memes of Türkiye’s straightforward shooting technique, to Australian stories of triumph over cancer and stunning title defences, many stories from the Paris Olympics are worthy contributions to the Game’s rich tapestry.
Each edition promises a test of athleticism, a battle between warriors, a global spectacle and the chance of glory.
But perhaps the age old saying that hard work pays off is the most accurate reward provided by the Olympics.
Entertainment spectacles may measure a host nation’s pride, infrastructure and location can entice travellers around the globe, but the true Olympic spirit remains in the enduring hearts of its athletes and its global witnesses.