Written by It was quite exciting for Australian swim fans when Brendon Smith came from nowhere to proclaim himself a real threat in the men’s 400m individual medley. His excellent performance in the heats saw him finish fastest but the actual event was more challenging. After sitting in seventh position for most of the event, he found it in himself to surge forward to claim bronze; Australia’s first medal at this Olympics.
The beauty of his performance was that it was unannounced and unexpected, he came from nowhere and stole the place in true underdog fashion. What is perhaps less beautiful is that his hard-won bronze was compared to the gold he ‘could have won’ had he managed the same time that he did in his heat.
“The thing that’s tough here, I have to point it out, is if he had swum the time he did in the heat he would have won that final.” – Ian Thorpe (commentating for Channel 7).
Ian Thorpe may be a legend in Australian Olympic Swimming but maybe this wasn’t worth pointing out. Smith swam his heart out and secured Australia’s first medal, it was a brilliant performance and should be celebrated in its own right rather than be thought of as a concession, or not quite as good. Gold is not the only color of success.
Thorpe did go on to congratulate Smith on his success, and the young swimmer himself was over the moon becoming only the second Australian to win a medal in this event after Rob Woodhouse won bronze at Los Angeles in 1986.
“Unbelievable. I can’t believe it. 12 months ago when the Games were cancelled or postponed, I thought give me another opportunity, another year to better my preparation from last time so, you know, to improve that much and to be able to get on the podium is incredible.” – Brendon Smith.
It’s important to encourage performance without setting the athlete up to fail. It’s all about recognizing and celebrating successes, all successes. Confidence and motivation can be greatly increased if efforts are acknowledged, if this doesn’t happen the person may feel demoralized and become despondent. A reputation for celebrating wins and effort can also become a central pillar of the branding of a team and even a country. The coach is integral in this process, instilling confidence and inspiring the best performance without demanding perfection. In this way building a culture of positivity and effective team collaboration. At an Olympic level, on the world’s stage, a country has to get behind their representatives to empower them and appreciate them for the sake of their motivation as much as to show the world the country’s solidarity.