Every four years, the most extraordinary athletes in the world converge to compete in the Olympics. A few are household names because they play their sports professionally or they have achieved stardom in previous world championship competition. Most of them, however, emerge from relative obscurity to match up in events that we ordinarily would never watch but which captivate us during these two special weeks.
When the games end, many of these athletes will retire from athletic competition and either return to their regular lives or choose a path to follow for their post-Olympics careers. Since we know little or nothing about their backgrounds or their ambitions, we can only speculate about what the more prominent performers might choose to do based on their exploits in Rio.
Usain Bolt – The fabulous Jamaican sprinter won the 100 meter dash for the third straight time, retaining his informal title as “World’s Fastest Human.” Anyone who can move that quickly should certainly pursue a career in transportation or delivery. A role as spokesperson for Jimmy Johns also seems like a natural based on their tag line for their delivery: “Freaky Fast.”
Mo Farah – This distance runner from Great Britain took his second Olympic gold medal in the men’s 10,000 meter run despite stumbling and falling in the early stages of the race. Undaunted, he simply picked himself up, got back in the race and finished with a tremendous burst of speed to win the race. A fellow who refuses to take no for an answer and won’t give up until he closes the deal undoubtedly has a great future in sales.
Michael Phelps – Having now collected 23 gold medals in swimming, Phelps can stake his claim as perhaps the greatest Olympic athlete of all time. This time around, however, he also gained notoriety for his reaction when a competitor tried to break his concentration with some pre-race theatrics. Phelps responded with what has since been dubbed “the death stare.” With his ability to muster that look, what middle-schooler could ever deny their role in teenage mischief when called down to the office to meet with Assistant Principal Phelps?
Hope Solo – The goalie for the US women’s soccer team reacted strongly after losing to underdog Sweden who elected to follow a very defense-oriented, conservative game plan. Solo called the Swedish team “cowards” and claimed that the best team did not win. With public relations skills like that, she seems destined for great success as an election campaign spokesperson.
Shaunae Miller – This amazing runner from the Bahamas saw her quest for gold fading away as she approached the finish line just behind another contestant in the women’s 400 meter run so she did what she had to do – she literally dove across the finish line and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. With an ability to make snap decisions like that to save the day from impending doom, a career in crisis management seems like a great fit.
Katie Ledecky – With four gold medals, two world records and one of the most dominant swimming performances in Olympic history, this incredible US swimmer can do anything she wants in her professional career because, quite simply, she’s awesome.
Bottom Line
These speculations may be way off-base but it is fun to think about the possibilities. Are there others?