What's the worst that could happen?

Hey folks!

For me, one of the biggest differences between the Olympic Games and 'ordinary' world championships has always been that the Olympics seemed to stand for something more. It was this mysterious universe of traditions, rituals, myths and the like. It was where heroes were created in the competitions and plenty of times also outside. Being Austrian, I feel obliged to take Hermann Maier as an example. Two days after his terrible crash in the downhill race, instead of being dead, he was back up on his feet and won two gold medals in Super G and Giant Slalom.

Having witnessed countless examples of mind winning over matter, David kicking Goliath's bottom, I've always been a big fan of inspirational stories. Although they might have been on a smaller scale than the Olympics (well, they most definitely were actually), I think they are still worth sharing here on this blog with you. So in the course of the next months, I will pick out some of the stories I like best to present to you. Today, I would like to start with the story of Thomas Geierspichler, a 2-times Olympic champion, who competed in three Paralympics so far.

Thomas gave a speech in my hometown in February. And
what seemed like a boring PR obligation (a sponsor invited us to go there) at first, soon turned out to be a very valuable lesson. His story in a nutshell: Thomas had an accident at the age of 17, leaving him paralyzed from the hip down. First, he couldn't cope with his fate and tuned into alcohol and drugs. However, soon he realized that this will only destroy him and with the help of this faith in God, he overcame his addictions.

One evening, while working out, he was watching a broadcast of the Paralympics, I think it was in Atlanta 1996. He watched the award ceremony, with all the athletes on the podium and the national anthem of the winner playing. And at this moment, he thought:

"One day, I would love to hear the National Anthem being played for me."

So Thomas continued working out and started to compete on a professional level. And finally, after having won two medals in Sydney, he fulfilled his dream and won the 1500m race in Athens. Nowadays, Thomas is still active and continues to win races and break world records all over the world.

Towards the end of his speech, when it was time for some questions and answers, of course somebody asked him, where his incredible perseverance and will power came from. And this is the part that really opened my eyes and made me see a lot of things in a completely different light since. He replied:

"You know, I fully believe that one day, I will be able to walk again. So everything I do is meant to lead me to this beautiful day when I can walk again. And I am not afraid at all. And you know why? Because what is the worst thing that could happen to me? The worst thing that could happen is that many years from now, as I lie dying in my bed, I could realize: 'I was wrong - I can't walk'. And believe me: There are definitely worse things than being wrong."

I just really love this story, not only because he still stays optimistic and fights on despite all the stuff that has happened to him. I also believe that his thoughts are very, very smart. Because, he is right: In many cases, the worst thing that could actually happen to us is that we are wrong. And I agree: There are definitely worse things than that!


Note: All pictures © Thomas Geierspichler. Please click on the pictures for more information. No copyright infringement meant!