Have you ever thought that there is nothing you can do anymore? That the the situation you are in is so desperate that there is absolutely no way you can find your way out of it? Then here are some srories just for you. Hopefully, they can inspire you to keep going and look at the situation you are in from a different angle.
Jesse Owens: A Race Against Fascism
Regarded as one of the most famous athletes of all time, the story of how Jesse Owens embarrassed Nazi Germany shook sport. A sprinter of African-American descent, Owens didn’t recoil from the games despite a hostile reception. Instead, he stepped out at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, amid racial slurs and extreme prejudice, with a mission to exact his vengeance on Hitler’s fascist regime.
Nazi propaganda was awash with alarming cries of the so-called ‘Aryan race’s racial superiority and Africans’ inferiority. To the delight of many, the sprinter came away with four Gold medals in the Games to send the Fuhrer into a fit of fury.
The Armless Table Tennis Champion
‘Nothing is impossible as long as you work hard is the motto of the inspirational Olympic Table Tennis champion, Ibrahim Hamato.
Hamato lost his arms in an accident as a child. As a passionate player, a young Hamato tried holding the bat under his arm after his arms were amputated. The practice didn’t work out, and thus, Hamato learned to play with the bat in his mouth.
Not only did Hamato manage to revive his dream of playing his beloved game, but he would also go to the highest level, competing in the Paralympic games for Egypt.
Cinderella Man
Irish American boxer James Braddock earned the nickname Cinderella Man. Why? Because of his remarkable rags-to-riches story. He went from poverty-stricken scrapper to heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
After turning professional at 21 years old, big things were expected from Braddock. After knocking out Tuffy Griffiths, he was touted for the top, and he almost made it early in his career but lost out to Tommy Loughran, fracturing his right hand in several places in the process.
The damage to his hand would plague his next 33 fights, as it would fracture time and time again. He eventually gave up boxing to work on the docks. Crucially, he could not use his right hand and began lifting with his left. He returned to the ring to beat the biggest hitters in boxing, including Heavyweight Champion Max Baer. He finished his career with 51 victories from 82 fights, and his inspirational story of overcoming adversity inspired a hit movie starring Russell Crowe.
The Flying Scotsman
Few sportspeople have inspired such dramatic change in a sport as– The Flying Scotsman. Obree was a true innovator and sensational sportsman who overcame adversity to make his dream a reality.
Obree was enamored with the World Hour Velodrome Record since he watched Francesco Moser break it in the 1990s. He later said: “It was the ultimate test – no traffic, one man in a velodrome against the clock.”
After three suicide attempts and his bike shop’s failure due in most part to his long-suffering Bipolar Disorder, Obree decided his way out was to give the velodrome record a shot. And that he did.
Obree made his first attempt at Moser’s record on 16th July 1993 – he failed, falling short by a kilometer. He then spent the night drinking ‘pint upon pint’ of water and stretching. By 7:55 a.m. the next morning, he was ready for a second shot. The difference, he said, was his mental state. ‘The day before, I had been a mouse. Now I was a lion,’ he said before setting a new reckord of 51.596.
Obree’s influence stretches beyond his velodrome efforts, as his homemade bike and riding style later served as the blueprint for all that followed.
Think about it, if all these people managed to do so much even with insurmountable odds against them then why do you doubt yourself? Go out there and do your absolute best, and eventually you will succeed!
