Confidence Amongst Young Athlete At The Olympics.
There is often controversy around how people expect young athletes to conduct themselves during the Olympic games. The general status-quo would suggest that young athletes, especially from the UK, should demonstrate decorum. With the likes of Caden Cunningham and Noah Lyles (USA) choosing to take the opposite approach and act with extreme confidence with a pinch of arrogance which has stirred reaction and emotion in all directions.
Its important to understand that most of us will never understand what it takes to perform on the Olympic stage more so what the emotional encumbrances are to perform in front of tens of thousands live and an extend few million on television. For this reason, INSPO encourages the cockiness and outlandish confidence as it is likely that these individuals are expressing themselves on a level which is raw down to core.
Take Caden Cunningham for example; The young man, aged 21, has risen to the occasion through the entire Olympic games and has been challenged in his sport of taekwondo at the highest level. Caden Cunningham has displayed confidence on every occasion and has received criticism for being overly cocky by individuals throwing stones. Regardless of this, Caden has provided himself to be a young man of determination and discipline as he returns to England as an Olympic Silver Medal winner.
What the haters neglect to understand is the emotion that, not only Olympians, but any sporting individual, go through when participating in sport. Have you ever gone for a run and suddenly you feel fired up and find yourself in an elated metal zone, feeling like you are the most epic human being on earth? Think about that for a second. And now think about when you may have gone to support an event, and you watch individuals running down the finishing straight raising their arms in an attempt to arouse the crowd, and it feels a bit cringe and a bit awkward? Now, remember both of those situations and times the emotional connection to each by a thousand.
There is a beauty to live sport as the atmosphere of the stadium bring the spectators emotional level close to that of the athletes. This is why many feel motivated and inspired after attending such an event.
But for most of us, whether it be spectators, journalist, commentors, sitting at home, cup of team and biscuit in hand, will not reconcile with the emotions one will experience at the live events. It is accurate to say that the emotional tones are literally at the opposite ends of the spectrum. So let confidence be confidence and arrogance be arrogance, for the next time you feel these emotions within yourself, you certainly do not want someone bringing you down and discouraging you from being who you truly are.
Well done to all Olympic competitors. Medals or not, many of these athletes will return for the LA Olympics in 2028, provide us phenomenal show for us to spectate once again and bring the confidence they have built within themselves and inspire us all to achieve great things.
INSPO
Inspired In Sport.