With the official ending of the XXXII Olympiad comes a time of reflection. Not just which country took home the most medals or which athlete was the biggest stand-out in his or her sport. But also the special stories we don’t always hear about. So, MissionFit wants to take a few minutes to give you
Olympic Stories To Share
One can search through myriads of videos, pictures and news articles from the past and glean many heartwarming, odd or even astonishing stories to share. Well, MissionFiT saves you the trouble. Here are two stories, one from the past and the other from the present, that show the trail one creates in hardship may help another find their path.
Hurdling Toward Taekwondo
Nawal El Moutawakel in 1976 crossing the finish line
In 1984, Nawal El Moutawakel, a native of Morocco, became the only woman to compete in track and field for the Moroccan team. Moutawakel ran the 400 meter hurdles and earned a gold medal; the first for a Muslim as well as for Morocco. Moutawakel is now the Minister for Youth and Sports. Her work has been about making the road easier to travel for other Islamic women athletes not able to compete, train or be supported as Morocco supported her.
Kimia Alizadeh in a match with an athlete from Great Britain
Enter the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and Kimia Alizadeh, a native of Iran. Alizadeh’s story begins in Rio in 2016. She competed for Iran in the sport of Taekwondo and won the bronze medal. However, Alizadeh “defected what she felt was an oppressive Iranian government”, landing in Germany. Lack of citizenship forced her to compete for the Refugee Team in 2020. Although, Alizadeh didn’t win a medal her story proves how Moutawakel sees her accomplishments:
“My athletic race was the 400-meter hurdles, but it has been a metaphor for my life … You have to get over the hurdles and keep running.”
Read special stories from the 2020 Olympics and accomplishments of past Olympic athletes.
Our Adventure To Athens Story Isn’t Over Yet!
Let’s see where our MissionFiT teams rank within their divisions:
Rx’d All Inclusive
Congrats to Honduras!!!!!! They’ve crossed the finish line!
New Zealand – 26
Italy – 20
Austria – 16
Scaled All Inclusive
Switzerland – 25
Kenya – 25
Greece – 9
Scotland – 9
Specific
Congrats to Sweden!!!!!! They’ve crossed the finish line!
Cayman Islands – 8
