Alison Gibson, an experienced Team USA diver, experienced every Olympian’s worst nightmare at the 2024 Paris Olympic games. During her very first dive of the competition, Gibson slammed her feet on the springboard earning her a score of 0.0. In 15 years of diving, Gibson had never done this before. She was devastated, as her life’s work led up to this very competition.
Despite this devastation, Gibson continued the competition, knowing she had no chance of winning a medal. With bleeding and bruised feet, she completed the next three dives and wowed spectators with her unshakeable resolve. Not many people are able to continue competing after an error like that. Gibson serves as an excellent representation of perseverance and mental strength. Immediately after the competition, Gibson said that outsiders might see her dive as “an embarrassing failure”, but she sees it as anything but, and hoped that her perseverance would inspire others to keep going “even when you fall short”.
This story is a powerful reminder that success is not measured by trophies and medals. Success is measured by YOU and only you. Athletes must attribute their sense of purpose and success to the journey, rather than the outcome. Only then will athletes find true joy through sport. Gibson explains, “Our worth is not defined by one painful moment. I am who I am because of the journey it took to get here. And I will not let the shame and pain of this moment define me and my worth”. Gibson’s courage reminds us that we can always continue to evolve, regardless of how painful our mistakes are.