The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have come and gone. My household, for one, is sad to see it go. For the first time since 2016, the host city had overlapping daylight with the continental United States, so we could watch all the action live or on short tape-delay. And if you were running Daddy Daycare like me for the past two weeks, the Summer Olympics were a reliable and family-friendly coworker.
Alas, today we return to normal life. NBC resumes daytime talk shows, we’ll all soon forget the rules of handball, and my children are suddenly voicing grave concerns about my ability to keep them entertained all day. I’ll miss you Gold Zone!
Yes, I love the Olympics— the quadrennial gathering of international athletes to figure out when is best in their disciplines. For most of these disciplines, the Olympiad is the single most important moment in that 4 year cycle. Many athletes spend a lifetime in preparation for this moment, and many may not have another cycle on the horizon. It’s the Super Bowl for most of the 329 medal events, and there won’t be another for 4 years. For a fan of sport, what’s not to love?
But I don’t think you have to be a fan of a specific sport (or even athletics in general) to have room in your heart for the Olympics. The transcendent qualities are everywhere—the storylines, the emotion, national pride, obscure and prehistoric disciplines, beautiful host cities and cultures, Snoop Dog… the Olympics has it all. And it’s because we’re presented with the context of these athletes and their journeys that we find so many great lessons—for life, for business, and for other athletic pursuits.
Here are my top 5 life (and hockey!) lessons from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
- Everyone Matters
If Steven Nedoroscik isn’t a name you can remember (let alone pronounce or spell), his nickname will certainly echo for a while. Now affectionately known as “Pommel Horse Guy”, Steven is the Men’s Gymnastics Team Final equivalent of the goalie on your hockey team. He’s a quirky specialist. He maybe doesn’t look or talk like the other players. He’s unassuming and maybe a little detached. He solves his Rubik’s Cube in 10 seconds, squinting through his glasses. You know… goalie stuff.
But he’s also a stone-cold killer—a ruthless competitor and technician in an unforgiving role. When the scoreboard is done tallying the contest, you’re glad you had him on your squad. Just ask the men’s gymnastics team, winners of their first medal in 16 years, due largely to Steven’s performance on the dreaded Pommel Horse.
The lesson? Everyone contributes. Everyone matters. Often the guy with the shortest job description has the hardest job—the one that will make the biggest difference. “Keep the puck out of the net” sounds easy until you realize it’s the hardest thing on the ice and 50% of the scoreboard depends on it. So let’s embrace the eccentricities and uniqueness. Make sure he knows he’s valued and he matters… because that guy might be the difference between a medal and adding 4 more years to a losing streak.
On the lighter side, there’s Bob The Cap Catcher.
Consider this: Bob wore that bathing suit to the pool that day with intent. For some reason, he agreed to do this job and prepared accordingly. And while the task can and should be performed by a polite robot who can’t say no, for now it’s fallen to Bob—an astonishingly confident middle-aged guy rocking a speedo in front of a couple billion tv viewers. The lesson? Everyone matters, even Bob. Guys like Bob make sure the games can continue.
- It’s not over until it’s over
Cole Hocker wasn’t supposed to win the 1500m for the US. Like all of us viewers, Cole was being told that the US couldn’t win middle distance anymore. And when the 2 predicted favorites—the current World Champion and the reigning Olympic Champion— pinched him off in the final turn to make it a head-to-head race between each other, they probably weren’t thinking about Cole either. But Cole wasn’t done.
Quincy Hall “is fading badly” the announcer exclaimed in the final turn of the 400m sprint. She wasn’t wrong to say it—he was in 4th and didn’t seem to be gaining. But they don’t give out medals until the race is over. His home stretch 100m was supernatural—he ran the final 100m faster than anyone in the field, and the final 50m faster than his first 50m. Winning gold required a personal best time and the fourth fastest ever.
Scottie Sheffler has been the #1 golfer in the world for 90 weeks, leads the PGA tour in 33 statistical categories, has won The Masters twice, and prior to the Olympics was the betting favorite to win the gold. Plucky underdog he isn’t. But going into the final round that pedigree was nowhere to be found. He sat four shots behind to start the final round, and six shots behind early on the back nine. What followed was the stuff of legend. Scheffler birdied five of six holes down the stretch and matched the course record with a 9-under 62 for a one-shot victory.
The lesson? A scoreboard doesn’t matter until it’s over. Predictions and splits don’t win medals—results do.
- Setbacks make for Greater Conquests
Sha’Carri Richardson was prohibited from participating in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics because of a positive drug test for THC. She knew the rules and broke the rules, no disputing the facts. But the backstory sheds light on a tougher period in her life; Richardson had been self-medicating with marijuana following the death of her biological mother. She spent two years getting back into Olympic shape and working on her mental health. By 2024, she was a woman on a mission—culminating with a silver in the 100m and this freakish gold medal performance as anchor in the 4×100.
Simone Biles has had her own public battle with mental health during and since the Tokyo games. Today she’s back and better than ever, winning 3 gold medals and a bronze and looking like she’s having fun doing it.
Noah Lyle took home gold in the 100m by 0.005 seconds and won bronze in the 200m. It was only later during the festivities that he took to twitter to offer this admission and inspiration:
“I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”
The lesson? These athletic heroes aren’t immortal or perfect—they experience adversity, self-doubt, and challenging periods just like the rest of us. What matters is what you do next.
- Run your own race
“I’m just focused on running my own race.” Every athlete has used that cliché or something like it. It means shifting focus inward, controlling the things you can control.
For Yusuf Dikec, that control means ditching the gadgets and gizmos and paraphernalia that so many of his fellow competitors opt for. Instead, Yusuf strikes a figure like your dad playing an arcade game in the mall—casual, calm, both eyes open, one hand in a pocket. He’s either a contract killer or a guy who wandered in off the streets, but either way he looks completely Zen about it.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh marches to the beat of her own drummer too. She’s not just the pride of Ukraine and the world record holder in the high jump, she also has a totally unique routine. While her fellow competitors are pacing and harnessing nervous energy between attempts, you’ll find her bundled in a sleeping bag, laying on a yoga mat, perhaps staring at the clouds.
The lesson? Run your own race. Be unapologetically authentic, focused inward managing and pushing yourself, and remembering what got you to this stage in the first place.
- Success takes Commitment
Nothing great was ever easy, or everyone would do it. To be the best you have to go above and beyond, transcending even the norms within your discipline.
With 9 gold medals and 14 overall, Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history, and the most decorated American woman in all sports. Despite just winning another 4 medals in Paris, she’s already set her sights on Los Angeles in 2028. Her total commitment to her profession is legendary even within a sport where grueling training regimens are the norm.
But commitment isn’t measured only in training sessions. Many Olympians have to get creative just to make the dream a possibility. Boxer Morelle McCane has been hustling since she was 17 years old, subsidizing her goal of being an Olympian by working as a mailroom clerk, daycare supervisor, and birthday party clown. (We’ve all had some tough jobs… but holy hell.) This year she became the first Cleveland-born female fighter to qualify for the Games, eventually losing in the round of 16.
The lesson? Don’t confuse the moment you’re seeing with the process it took to make it happen. Just to get to the Olympics takes a commitment most people just aren’t capable of undertaking. So what do you want in life bad enough to make that type of commitment?
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See you in Los Angeles, Snoop Dog.
One Response
Topher, you always seem to parse down to the core of a message. Thank you.