Go big or go home, right?! As spectators, we wait anxiously every four years for 16 days of pure sports madness in hopes that our country brings home the most gold medals. For the athletes, those 16 days mean more than just four years — they mean gratification of countless years, days and hours spent in the gym, the pool, the track, etc. With all of that training compiled into one athlete, it’s hard not to pick your favorites right away. The comeback kid, the returning Olympian, the newcomer — we label these athletes but we often don’t take time to know their name or their background. Here is a list of seven must-watch athletes that have overcome adversity, shown their dedication and lastly, may just surprise you in more ways than one in Rio this Olympics.
1. Chris Brooks
As a man that was coined the term “career of almosts,” the 2016 Olympics are more than just 16 days to Chris Brooks — to him it is 16 days of redemption. In 2012, Brooks qualified at the age of 25 on the Men’s USA Gymnastics team, as an alternate. He didn’t even have the chance to compete. Already on the higher end of men’s gymnastics, being 25 and named an alternate was a crushing blow. For Brooks it meant that his next shot of redemption would be at age 29 — something completely unheard of in a sport dominated by youth and vitality. However, he defied the odds — he made it. Brooks qualifying alongside teammates Sam Mikulak, Alex Naddour, John Orozco and Jake Dalton combine to make the five men representing Team USA in men’s gymnastics. With Brooks determination, resilience and performances on the high bar and parallel bars there is nothing stopping this “comeback kid” from one last shot at gold.
2. Michael Phelps
What is an Olympic Games without the “king of the pool”? When Phelps declared retirement from swimming following the 2012 games, hopeful fans everywhere crossed fingers hoping that Phelps would come back for just one more Olympics. Well, here he is folks! Looking just as strong as ever. Now a new father and overcoming some hard times, Phelps set the record straight this past week in the swimming trials at Omaha that he is still the same old Phelps we love. Qualifying for his fifth Olympics (making history), he dominated the 200 men’s butterfly in traditional Phelp’s style, showcasing his insane wingspan with every stroke. As this Olympics may just be Phelp’s “last goodbye,” we know that he is going to go out with a bang.
3. Simone Biles
Coming in at only a petite 4’ 9” and 19 years old, this fiery gymnast is not one to mess with. She made that pretty clear at the P&G Gymnastics Championships. Biles recorded her highest score last Sunday, becoming the first woman in more than 40 years to win four consecutive U.S. women’s gymnastics championships. Pretty impressive for a 19-year-old, right? With a near perfect score on vault, and a flawless and memorizing floor routine, Biles is one to keep an eye on for the Rio Games.
4. Allyson Felix
While the Track and Field qualifying trials do not begin until Friday, July 1, Allyson Felix has her eyes on gold in the 200 meter and 400-meter dash. An individual double that gives her at most only 13 hours of recovery from prelims to finals in each event. Something that hasn’t been done since Michael Johnson 20 years ago at the Atlanta Olympics. But if anyone is up to the challenging double, Felix is the winning candidate. Her determination and will-power have brought her out of her lowest lows (an almost career ending hamstring pull and reoccurring ankle injury) to her highest highs (2012 Olympics, and 2015 World Track and Field Championships). She is an amazing example that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, even when you think it is impossible — which makes watching her (hopefully) this Olympics that more rewarding.
5. Missy Franklin
Causing some doubt within swimming fans everywhere, Franklin failed to make the Olympic team this year in a repeat of her 2012 gold medal performance in the 100 meter backstroke. Was Missy even going to make the Olympics? To "Missy haters" everywhere, it looks like you will have to endure another Olympic games with the smiley new face of swimming. Franklin swam a gutsy 200 freestyle, qualifying second and solidifying her spot on the Olympic team. I have a feeling that this is not the last we will see of Franklin and her bubbly personality.
6. John Orozco
Now Orozco's story is one for the books, and an excellent place to end. He is the true definition of strength, both on and off the gymnastics floor. This past 16 months have been the most difficult 16 months anyone could go through — let alone a gymnast struggling to make the Olympic team. Orozco lost his mother unexpectedly, who he considered his motivation for staying in the Olympics and his best friend, this last Valentine's Day. Then in June, Orozco tore his Achilles tendon for the second time in his career. The odds were definitely against him. He fought through the adversity and secured his spot on the Men's Gymnastics team with an outstanding performance in the high bar and a redemption performance in the pommel horse, after his botched performance in 2012. Orozco is the heartwarming story that makes the Olympics, the Olympics.
