Why Michael Phelps Gold Medals in Rio are the Most Important of them all.

Every four years I am a sucker for the Olympics. From start to finish I live for the back stories of unknowns competing for gold, the tales of fundraising athletes competing alongside of professional ones, the cultural profiles, the countries with only one delegate. It’s all amazing. There is no denying that the Olympics are fun to watch in general and even more fun to watch when other worldly athletes like Michael Phelps compete and dominate.

His domination was not unexpected. Of course everyone knows that Michael Phelps was already the most decorated Olympian of all time going into these games and with 4 golds in Rio and one race to go he is clearly an astonishing athlete.

Interestingly enough though his treasure trove of medals is not what makes Michael Phelps impressive. What makes him impressive (and so many other stories from these games) is the overwhelming theme of redemption.

Michael Phelps was arrested for drunk driving twice, contemplated suicide, spent 60 days at an in-patient rehabilitation facility, and found out that his life was not about himself thanks to the most popular book of all time, The Purpose Driven Life. We all know that from the bottom there is only way to go and for Phelps no one would have questioned him if his “up” was hanging up his goggles and going on to live a happy yet quiet life with his growing family but instead he is in Rio, dominating.

I can’t help but think that humanity is being handed an olive branch, quite possibly from the super human arms of Phelps himself. A proverbial reprieve in the culture that we are currently living in. For 16 days of competition we get to focus on the beauty of sport, the joy of competition, the thrill of victory and the pride of Country. Not terror, not fear, not politics. We needed this. We needed them. We need the Olympics.

Much like that olive branch from Biblical times these stories are reminding us that even though it was hard, redemption is coming- a fresh start, a second (or third or fourth) chance, a gold medal. The redemption we see played out in prime time reminds us that we can have redemption stories too. These stories are shining even more brightly because they shine from ashes, both from the athletes themselves but also the ashes of the climate we find ourselves living in.

One has to believe that Phelps domination is more than simply over his field of rivals. He dominated his demons and you can see it when he is interviewed. He is cautious, not taking anything for granted and even thankful. He is not pompous (as he could be), he is not flippant, he is instead self-depricating citing his age (31) and how hard this is on his body. He is emotional. As anyone who has been through any type of therapy knows, the ability to embrace emotion instead of stuffing it is a clear sign that you have been doing your work. I truly believe that while these Gold medals are astonishing they pale in comparison to the fact that he overcame his biggest rival of all, himself.

It’s a tale as old as time to learn a life lesson from a sport. But these games have me thinking that there is something more to be taken away. After all, it isn’t just Phelps. There is the first ever refugee Olympic team, the first African American female swimmer to earn a Gold in an individual event. The adopted gymnastic phenom who reminds us that Mom and Dad are exactly who you say they are. The spitfire sharpshooter from West Virginia who won USA’s first gold, this is just week one and already the list goes on and on.

These Olympics are reminding us that we all have a story to tell and we all have a chance at redemption. Redemption doesn’t have to be newsworthy or medal earning it just has to prove that we overcame something…and overcoming in and of itself can be an Olympic Sport all on its own.