People work their whole lives to get to the Olympics, but most only have one shot to make it every four years, and that is at the Olympic Trials. Of course there are the people that are expected to make it to the Olympics, but what happens if those people do not make it in?
That is exactly what happened to track star, Johnny Dutch, who had the fastest time in the world for the 400-meter hurdles. He was a shoo-in for one of the three coveted spots on the U.S. Olympic team until the end of his trial race when his back leg clipped the hurdle, dropping him to fifth place in the standings.
All of his Olympic dreams vanished all because of one minor mistake. Dutch led the world with his speed, but this one bad race ended it for him.
Now a different example that spawns from another sport: gymnastics. Gabby Douglas finished seventh overall during the Olympic trials, and fell off the balance beam, which is the second time during the 2016 competition season. She also did not place high in these competitions, either.
But somehow, Douglas managed to be picked as a member for the U.S. Olympic team that only takes five girls. The other two girls who placed higher than Douglas will be alternates, which means they will most likely not be competing.
So what does this say about how the Olympic teams are picked? If some sports are based off of performance at a specific competition, why does this not apply to all sports?
There are other athletes like Dutch who have been leading the world in their respective sports, yet they are not making the cut for the Olympic team.
Having all of these Olympic trials are the most unbiased way to decide who is going to the Olympics, so what is the point of having them if all of the Olympic teams are not going to be picked that way?
There is no disrespect for Douglas in this article because she is a great athlete and reigning Olympic champion, but if there were two other athletes who placed higher than her in the Olympic trials, shouldn’t they be the ones going to the Olympics and Douglas be the alternate?
Other sports work the same as gymnastics in regards to a selection. For example, basketball has a selection committee that just picks whatever players they want. They do not even have a tryout for players to earn a spot on the team.
If we want the best athletes to represent the United States for the Olympics, why are we not giving all of them the opportunity to earn a spot in their particular sport? And even if we do give them the opportunity, why do we not give it to the athletes that earned it?
The Olympic Trials are the time for these athletes to prove that they can perform on the biggest stage in the world. If they cannot prove themselves at their respective trial or tryout, that athlete should not be able to go. It is time for the everyone to stop being biased in our decisions and let the athletes who earned their spots represent the United States.
