To be able to find something deep within you, to continue, to keep going, when the goal is unclear, when what you want isn’t obvious ahead of you. This is like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Governing bodies, politicians, this tornado of a virus seem to hold the keys to whether or not you even have the opportunity to aim at your goal. Everyone is posting photos and memes and motivational phrases about reaching goals and staying strong, but what does that really mean?

Maria Portela (BRA)

“Always I think about what I can learn from this moment? What can I do to be better? My dream is my goal. I wake up daily with thoughts of improving 1% and taking a step towards achieving my big goal. How I think determines how I will act!”

Maria Portela on her way to the Brasilia Grand Slam rostrum, 2019

Fabio Basile (ITA)

“I felt when I was young that I was born to fight.This period is hard, yes, but it's up to us to decide whether this period is really hard or not. This period will make us understand many things and we will be in touch with ourselves inside. We dig up memories of the past and we think about what we want to be in the future, who we really want to become. It is simple to see positives when all is right, when you have success, love, cash! The real champions see the positives continuously, through these hard days too.”

Fabio Basile in sparkling form at the 2020 Tel Aviv Grand Prix

Nekoda Davis (GBR)

“To give up now would be letting this monster win; Covid-19 will not be the reason I don’t try to get back to the level I was once at. I’ve had a rollercoaster ride and things were just starting to look up before the virus stole opportunities from us this year. I suppose I keep going for my team mate Chelsie too, because we motivate each other at this time. I keep going because of habit. I keep going because I’m scared to slip so far away I’ll never reach my goals, which was to compete in one more Olympics and take a medal. It seems far and bleak but I have faith we will all see better days. I hold on to that.”

Nekoda Davis winning the semi-final at the 2018 Baku World Championships

The athletes continue! Their messages are aligned; in positivity they dwell, adapting and persevering. Each one of them reflects great strength and that is a great example to us all.

See also