Medals do not matter

Instead of praising the efforts of our athletes on social media, many people bashed our athletes because they didn’t win medals. In the case of Keshorn, many people became critical because he did not win a gold medal.

Olympic athletes feel happy to win any Olympic medal because they know how difficult they are to come by. There are many athletes from all over the world who go to the Olympics and don’t even place in the semi-finals.

Keshorn’s pictures on the front page of each newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago said it all. That look of utter pride and joy showed in his beaming smile. As I watched him draped in the Trinidad and Tobago flag, I thought about how sad it was for people to tarnish his achievement.

It should not have mattered even if Keshorn had not won a medal this year because he represents this country admirably well. Keshorn is humble and patriotic.

He has handled his fame with grace and dignity. How dare people criticise or belittle such a fine, upstanding athlete and representative of this country.

There’s no doubt in my mind that social media encourages people to spew venom on the Internet.

Because it is so convenient, inconsiderate people seem to feel there is no need to think before posting Facebook messages and tweets.

And who are these overly critical people? What have they accomplished? Can they fathom the time and effort our Olympic athletes have put into training? Do they know that there are international qualifying standards that these athletes must achieve to participate in the Olympics? Just making the Olympics is an achievement.

Our athletes need our support and our praise. It hurts not feeling appreciated. We all know that. It’s doubly bad for young people who expect better from adults. Still, athletes who suffer unfair criticism rise above the nonsense.

When US gymnast Simone Biles failed to break the Olympic record and failed to win five gold medals, US fans expressed disappointment that her fifth medal happened to be bronze. Biles made it clear that any medal in the Olympics is special. She celebrated when she received her medal; so did Keshorn. They knew they were special. It must be disheartening to know that haters exist.

We’re a small country – a mere dot on the map – and we need to celebrate our accomplishments, our Olympic accomplishments.

That support might not make the difference between winning or not. In 1976, Hasely Crawford won his Olympic gold medal in the 100 metres with scant support from Trinidadians. As a matter of fact, he was treated horribly by this country until he won and everyone jumped on his bandwagon.

When I think back on the 2016 Olympics, I will remember the disgusting behaviour of US swimmer Ryan Lochte who won many medals in his life, showed no character when he lied about being robbed. All the gold, silver and bronze medals in the world can’t make up for that disgraceful behaviour. Lochte proved it’s really not about the medals. It’s about character.

Give me Keshorn any day with or without a medal. He makes me feel proud.

He makes me realise what a great athlete really is in this volatile world with its cruel and inconsiderate people.