Summer of Sport 2022 - the Highs and Lows
Written on the 12th August 2022.
What an inspirational few weeks of sport it has been. Not only did our British Lionesses end 56 years of hurt with a trailblazing first Championship win over old rivals Germany in the Euros, but our Commonwealth athletes have also excelled on home soil, both to the delight of full stadiums. All these sports people display huge grit and resilience to reach their goals. What can we draw from their success to inspire us?
The last time England’s men lifted a major football trophy, the 1966 World Cup, women were banned from playing competitive football in any form. Now, against the same opponents in the same stadium, English football in its entirety has risen to the top. How did this transformation of a dis-jointed women’s team take place in less than a year?
It is all thanks to the vision and ruthlessness of Sarina Wiegman, England’s manager. It has been a resounding combination of her strong focus on the process and not the result, with decisive tactics, that paved this path to victory. Known for making tough decisions when it comes to choosing the best players for a match, she is also extremely clear and detailed in her planning. She set a team charter and helped the women grow their self-confidence by speaking to them one to one when she took on the role, then homing in on their individual strengths. The core focus, she says, is not on relying on individual players but wholly on the team, playing without pressure and with a love of the game: “You’re there, you’re doing what you love the most, you’re doing your best, so why don’t you just have fun, too?”.
Sarina changed the tables for the women’s game in her home nation, the Netherlands, leading the national women’s team to Euros victory in 2017, followed by victory in the World Cup final, and now she has broken boundaries for the game in England. Women's football - in the very best of ways - will never be the same again. In the words of Wiegman as she left the scene of England's triumph: "We changed society." The legacy is momentous, as every little girl in the UK and beyond will now believe that they too can be winners and that is a powerful shift in mindset for a generation.
We can also feel deeply proud to be British and must congratulate Birmingham for hosting a phenomenal Commonwealth Games this summer. It was amazing to witness and hear such an atmosphere with everyone at all levels clearly thrilled to be involved. From the guy throwing an impromptu few dance moves as he raked the beach volleyball pitch, to the roaring home crowd, willing all our home nations to go faster, dig deeper, and achieve more than they dreamed of.
As so often in elite sport, there are some incredible stories of resilience and sheer brilliance. There was Eilish McColgan who won 10,000 metres gold last Wednesday, like her mother, Liz McColgan, who did so 32 years earlier. Somehow, she managed to focus on her race and put all that expectation aside. Eilish then, unlike many other athletes, chose to compete in the 5,000 metres, making the final and coming in for an astounding silver, on as she put it, ‘tired legs’. She said: “I was so tired, mentally and physically but I’m so proud of myself.” Laura Muir managed to put aside her fateful trip in the 2014 Commonwealth Games final and seal her gold medal in the 1,500 metres with a truly dominant run. Meanwhile, the women’s sprinters, having clinched victory in the 4x400m relay by 0.01 second, had their victory cruelly snatched away due to stepping out of their lane.
One final standout mention from the Games must be Adam Peaty, who, having broken his foot only 10 weeks before, proved his team and competitive spirit by not wanting to miss taking part, especially on home turf. He was devastated to end his eight-year winning streak in the 100 metres breaststroke, but, demonstrating his fantastic attitude was first to congratulate his teammate on winning gold. A few days later it was the 50 metres event with Adam threatening to ‘bite back’ and come out fighting. Which he certainly did and won the only major medal that has eluded his senior career.
This summer we have been lucky enough to see the highs and lows of elite sport playing out in our living rooms. What an inspiration all these incredible athletes are, with their resilient mindsets and they leave an enormous legacy. Sport is a language that in physical and mental ways we can all empathise with, as it’s within our reach at some level and includes many skills that are applicable both at work and in life. So many of these men and women have overcome injuries, adversity, and very often, just sheer bad luck, which requires the ability to learn from failure and come back stronger. We may not all be top-level athletes, but these sportsmen and women all started somewhere. Their triumphs make the possibility of success in our lives that bit more tangible.