We are all familiar with pennies those tiny obsolete coins that are incredibly rare since Canada stopped making them. This Penny is even more rare as she has been doing the impossible this week at the Olympics earning herself 4 shiny new medals. This Penny is a 6’1” sixteen year old with the ability to spark an entire nation with her competitive fire.
Penny Oleksiak came into the Rio Olympics like a lamb and left like a lion. She made a serious mark on swimming providing a lot of inspiration to her fellow Olympians and Canadians alike. Now that her events are all done it seems like the energy she showed is still going strong. Let’s be honest it is hard not to cheer for her! She is so passionate, digs deep and has a little bit of a naivety about her that works to her advantage. Maybe it is because she is still young, or doesn’t know, or maybe it is even that she doesn’t care that medals usually take time to earn. The amazing thing is that she hasn’t bought into that mentality at all.
When she gets in the pool on that stage she just goes. A perfect example of when preparation meets opportunity and does she ever make it look easy.
Clearly Penny believes anything is possible right now. She got to the Olympics and then went on to peak at the perfect time in her races to earn her medals.
Originally Penny was brought to Rio in order to get used to the Olympic scene so she could become acclimatized to it. She wasn’t even sure she was going to make the Olympic swimming team. She earned a bronze by completely sneak attacking the first race she was in. Nobody saw it coming and she snuck right in at the finish line. Her second race she earned a silver medal. Her third race her and her teammates won a bronze. Finally in her fourth race she tied to win a gold medal.
In the process of single handedly erasing a 20 year medal drought for the Canadian swimming team. Penny has inspired many of her teammates showing by example they can do the same. She is now tied for winning 4 medals at one single Olympics. She is also the first Canadian to win 4 medals at a summer games not bad at all for someone who was supposed to only be acclimatizing herself to the Olympics.
Penny said in an interview “Coming in here I didn’t think I was going to medal as much as I did an go the times that I went but I’m pretty proud of myself with all my other races and everything and I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m just really happy with myself honestly.”
It isn’t just the medals she has won personally that matter it is also the inspiration she has provided her teammates so that they could see it was possible for them to do it to. When Roger Bannister was the first to break the 4 minute mile back in 1954 it had never been done before. Pretty soon many athletes were able to break that time limit. Now it is a benchmark for middle distance runners to reach. Other teammates have been inspired by her and were also able to win medals because she made it look easy. Sometimes it is just a matter of releasing that mental block and going for it.
It’s hard to look at this story and think what if Penny was left behind and someone else got to come instead. As a coach trying to determine the types of athletes that can have break out performances like this is incredibly challenging if not impossible. The important part is as an athlete to put in the work and know there are no shortcuts to success. Some athletes, like Penny, are naturally very gifted the biggest part Penny has shown is to not give up and to put everything you have into the one race. Then do the same for the next race and then the one after that too. As an athlete when given the opportunity always channel that passion and play with heart. Even when mistakes are made as it can make a really big difference to the team.
Blazing a trail is never easy its especially hard when the odds are stacked against you. Working hard and taking your lessons often goes under the radar. No one knew who Penny was at her last competition she wasn’t a household name then and wasn’t accomplished the way she is now. Hopefully, she is given the tools to help deal with the pressure that comes with succeeding at this level so we can see her thrive again at the next Olympics. What a performance!
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