But you know what? I’m…happy. I’m happy for my queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who managed to grab the bronze medal against all odds after an injury-truncated season. She was only able to run TWO races prior to the start of these championships and she managed a season’s best and a medal. I’m always gonna love her and be inspired by her greatness. Whatever am I going to do after Paris next year when she hangs up her spikes? 🥺
I’m happy for Shericka medalling again, even though I’m disappointed she didn’t win. The last 10m of that race…Chiiile! 😖 I’m even happy for Sha’Carri. She earned that gold. She did her stupidness and talked her mess and was rightly chastised, but she’s moving like a new woman these days and I’m happy she has grown. It’s never pleasant to watch someone with such great potential seemingly throwing their life away, so kudos to her and her team for getting things together.
Sport is exciting and fun and we celebrate when our faves win, and yes we throw a little (lot of) shade at the enemy (in athletics, it’s always the US. I don’t make the rules, a just so it go!) Sport is also cruel. For every victory high there is a nadir of defeat or not being able to perform because of mishaps or injury. Some got hurt right at the moment of truth. Some fell—literally—in the midst of the battle; even worse, 10m from the finish line—as we saw twice on Day 1. Thousands of athletes have been preparing since last year for their big moment this year, and even barring disasters, only three will medal and only one will win in each event. That means there are many more coming out on the L side of the equation. It’s just painful.
Let’s also spare a thought for those who almost had it. Fourth place is the most brutal of all. I’m hurt for Oblique because he even had the same time as the second and third place finishers. I needed a moment and had to take to my bed like a young Victorian miss having the vapours. And our dear Aunty Marie-Josee Ta Lou. My heart literally broke for her because, AGAIN? What else could she have given? 🥺 I really hope one day she will get her moment of glory. She and many others have to go back to the drawing board now to try to figure out what went wrong and strategise for the next event or next year’s Olympics. How do athletes manage this bounce back—especially those who have to do so time after time after time?
I was talking with my friend about this and she mentioned a book she was reading called Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success by Rick Newman. The book talks about rebounders—the people who brush themselves off and get right back on the proverbial horse, take the lessons and move on; and wallowers—those who get stuck in the moment of defeat for too long, questioning what if and blaming themselves and others. Whether they’re quick to rebound or they wallow for a while, these athletes have to bounce back somehow. They’re hurt but they simply can’t allow themselves to live in the sadness and disappointment. There’s often another race or game the very next day. I’m sure that takes a lot out of them and I hope they all have or will get the resources and support they need to help them recover themselves and keep going. It’s rough out in these streets, especially with social media where everybody and their mama will tell you how they feel about your performance. And we know Jamaicans can be vile when we’re upset.
I always say I could never be an athlete because in addition to being super nervous, the way my emotions are set up, I’d be under my bed crying right now if I underperformed or didn’t get the chance to show what I’m truly capable of. I’ve developed a newfound admiration for these athletes and the life lessons we can glean from their journeys. I’ve become more sympathetic in how I feel about them when things don’t go their way because you know what? I’ve never, ever been in their shoes. I’ve never had the pressure of a whole country on me, in addition to my own hopes and dreams. It must be so rough. Big up to every one of them. Even those from ova Such Country. 😂
So yeah, Budapest has not been a happy hunting ground for Team Jamaica just yet. We had really high hopes and we’ve had to rebound or wallow as things went off script. But there’s still a lot more to come and I pray the odds are in our favour. I can understand the lessons in defeat and setbacks, but darn it, I wanna celebrate! I want to knock my dutchie covers and jump up and down in front of the TV and scream like a lunatic. I want to swell with national pride as our athletes win. I want to see them happy and laughing in victory instead of grinning and bearing it in defeat. I’d also love to hear our national anthem ring out in Budapest, but I don’t even understand the medal presentation ceremonies at these games. I hope we get a couple of those moments. And yes, I understand that we’ve been spoiled over the majority of the last 15 years, but before that, we were waiting in the wings for sooo long. No one can blame us for wanting the magic to continue.
I wish all our athletes Godspeed. Go out there and do your best, and I hope in many cases, your best is THE best in the world. I’ll be cheering you on or crying with you, whatever the case may be. But please God, give us some happy tears now nuh?
Written by Tracey 