Who would sacrifice it all just for a swimming race? I am truly in awe

Who could h ave watched the Olympics over the past two weeks and not looked within oneself and found oneself wanting? I’ve been awe-struck by the competitors.

- Anna van Praagh

Impressed beyond belief by their skill, dedication, and how much they must have sacrificed to get there. And scared for them too, because their drive will have caused them harm, and some of the sacrifices they have made may not have been worth it.

“I’m not crying because I’ve come second, I’m crying because it took so much to get here,” said Adam Peaty, Britain’s star breast-stroke swimmer, who missed out on gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke by a heartbreaking two-hundredths of a second.

Peaty, who has spoken openly about his battles with mental health said, “I’m an older man here now. I can’t have that relentless pursuit every single day without a sacrifice of some sort. That sacrifice can come in many ways. It can come in time, it can come in energy, it can come in relationships. It comes in every single form.”