四年一度的奧運盛事聚集了全世界關注體育的人們的目光。在不久前結束的倫敦奧運會上,運動員們在賽場上爭金奪銀,為實現自己的目標而拼搏。殊不知備戰的這四年間流了多少淚,揮灑了多少汗水。但是,最終能站上領獎臺的畢竟是少數。比賽就是這么殘酷,有贏者,當然也有輸家,大多數運動員盡管竭盡全力還是會空手而歸。那么,那些逐漸淡出人們視線的“零獎牌”運動員在賽后是如何走出失敗的低谷、重回人生正軌的?就讓我們一起來看看他們的“后奧運”生活吧。
Brown: First thing.
Mackenzie: Really. Yeah.
Brown: And that’s one of the hardest things. The Olympics is so much more than medaling. It’s the whole experience and it’s playing for your country. I mean, I’ve traveled all over the world wearing USA on my chest, but it was so much more powerful when you get to the Olympic games because everyone’s watching the Olympics. And so, you know, it would have been awesome to stand on the podium and hear the National Anthem played for me. But, even now, when I’m watching, I stand in my position. I tear... Block: Do you really?
Brown: I tear every time the anthem’s played because I know what those athletes dedicated themselves to get to that point.
Mackenzie: It is the hardest question when they say, hey, did you win a medal? It’s sort of—you almost 7)shirk back from it and be like, look, I really tried. I swear to everything. I really tried. I wanted a medal, but…no. And then they give you the—but it’s so great that you made the Olympics. And it’s like, making the Olympics isn’t a 8)consolation prize.
It’s actually a really big deal and I want people to understand. You know, like—yeah, we all want the medal. Goodness, you know, we do.
But, sometimes, you just have to remind people that—hey, you know, it’s not about the medal, like Derek said. It’s about the experience and wearing the colors and representing the United States as best you can with your performance and just being proud to be an American.
Brown: That’s right. That’s right.
布朗:這是首先會問的。
瑪肯吉:確實是的。
布朗:那也是最難回答的。奧運(本身的價值)比獲得獎牌更重要。這完全是一場經歷,你在為自己的國家比賽。我的意思是,我穿著美國(國家隊的隊服)走過世界各地,但是當你打奧運比賽的時候會更獲鼓舞,因為全世界的眼睛都在看著你。因此,你知道的,站上領獎臺聽著國歌為自己響起是一件令人肅然起敬的事情。但是,甚至到現在,當我看到這場景的時候,站在我自己的角度,我都會流淚……
布洛克:真的嗎?
布朗:每次國歌奏響我都會流淚,因為我知道那些運動員們傾盡全力才得到那樣的成就。
瑪肯吉:回答“嘿,你拿到獎牌了嗎?”這樣的問題是最困難的。會有點兒想要逃避回答,然后回答:看,我已經盡力了。我發誓,我真的盡力了。我想要拿獎牌,但是,卻沒有拿到。然后他們會說,你參加奧運會就很棒了。我想說的是,參加奧運不是為了得到一個安慰獎,而是一件很了不起的事,我希望人們都能夠理解。你知道的,像是,好啊,我們都想要獎牌。天啊,你知道的,我們真的拿到了。
但是有時候,你只能提醒人們,嘿,這不僅僅關乎獎牌,像德里克說的。而是一場經歷和身著代表美利堅的隊服在場上全力拼搏,為自己是美國人而自豪。
布朗:是的,沒錯。