Have you ever given a thought of what it would be like being in the athlete's shoes in the gold-medal match from the start to the finish? It would be an experience like none other.

Athletes literally invest years of intensive training physically and mentally just so that they could live up to their coaches' expectations (or exceed their expectations and break the world record) and show the world what they're made of. A mere fraction of a second or a single point sets apart from a gold medalist and a silver medalist but that kind of a mindset would not be positive would it? Imagine the rush of uncontrollable emotions when you the athlete realize that you gave everything in the end and the digital signboard above lists your name and time/score as the leader of the pack, it would be an experience like none other.

But imagine being in the shoes of a silver-medalist. Everyone is fiercely competing to win and you succeeded into the finals. It is you against the opponent(s) and 10 seconds remaining. You are behind by one point and you know you can break a tie but unfortunately luck was not on your side. The final results are in and because of a single point (or a fraction of a second), you lost your last change to get a gold medal on your neck and to hear your nation's anthem played with the nation's flag placed in the center between the silver and bronze. The background of the athlete plays a role whether earning the silver medal brings joy and contentment to the athlete. For example, in the Women's +75kg weightlifting, Jang Miran earned the gold medal and Korobka Olha of Ukraine earned her silver. During the medal ceremony, both athletes were overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling, and Olha Korobka was very content with her silver medal. But athletes from countries with dozens of medals, some are not very happy with their silver or bronze. They rarely smile, tries to avoid taking photos at the end of the medal ceremony, avoid handshakes, and show weak sportsmanship in the end. Lot of thoughts are going through their mind and their behavior is reasonable.

To be continued...