there is so much to be learnt from the olympics. this is one point i've picked up on. i'm not sure if the straits times will publish. but on this blog. i have the supreme say. so i'm publishing!
Do Singaporeans Have The Desire To Win by Aaron Chew
The Olympic fever is underway. More than merely looking to the winners and admiring them, Singaporeans should look further, and examine why we are as yet, not on the medal scoreboard. The 4x100 metres men's freestyle is a great example of the winning spirit. The United States' anchor swimmer, Lezak, had a 0.6 second handicap to battle when he entered the pool. By Olympic standards, that is huge. What made the difference was not physical ability. If I were to swim against Phelps, only physical ability would matter, because we are separated by seconds, perhaps even minutes. But at the Olympic level, the difference is in the split seconds. With the head start, there was no reason for France to lose. But Lezak psyched himself up mentally, and that made the difference between the gold and the silver medal.
Why are Singaporeans not bringing in the medals? Is it physical ability? It is possible. But at the same time, do our athletes really have the hunger for the medal? By her remarks that she was tired, Tao Li didn't. Did Ronald Susilo want to beat Lee Chong Wei as much as Lee Chong Wei wanted to beat him?
To date, Tan Howe Liang is our only Olympic medalist. While he was competing, his leg was injured. He ignored the medical team's advice to withdraw and competed nonetheless. This intense hunger in him made the difference between an Olympic silver medalist, and an Olympic weightlifting competitor who withdrew. That is why he is our only Olympic medalist to date.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9R3j7wKv_I&feature=related
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