I’ve never had any real interest in sports. The extent of my sportsmanship consists of sending the occasional “Go Niners!” text to my Dad on game day and that’s only to make up for the fact that he has three daughters, none of whom share his passion and excitement for the performance of our local sports teams.
However, if there’s any event involving sports I enjoy, it has be the Olympics. Every two years when NBC starts advertising the Olympics by playing the recognizable triumphant theme-song my heart skips a couple beats as I look forward to two weeks of record breaking athletic performances. If you’ve missed out on this past week in Sochi, don’t fret. I’m here to catch you up on what you missed.
Disclaimer: Not all of these are stories are focused on athletic performances.
1. Yulia Lipnitskaya
When I was 15, I spent the majority of my time obsessing about One Direction and cleaning out the gunk in my braces. However, at the age of 15, Yulia Lipnitskaya has already competed in her first Olympics. Deemed a figure-skating prodigy, her performances are said to be breathtaking. Although she has already competed in Russia’s team figure skating events, she has yet to perform in the individual skating events, so stay tuned for what has yet to be another amazing performance.
2. Gus Kenworthy’s Puppy Saving Quest
Brace yourself, girls, this one’s a goodun’. Gus Kenworthy, free-style skier of the United States has made it his goal to save as many dogs as he can from Sochi. Unfortunately, due to the surplus of stray dogs in Russia, dogs without owners are usually taken to shelters and put to sleep. Gus (aka savior of international pups) has been adopting stray puppies, vaccinating and caring for them with plans to take them back to the U.S. where his family members and friends have agreed to take them in. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until this kid gets back to the States so I can propose.
3. Netherland twins take home Gold & Bronze.
Twinsies Michel and Ronald Mulder of Netherlands put the ‘win’ in “Twinning”. Not only did they share a womb, but they also are athletes in the same event. Both went to Sochi together, and both took home medals this past week. As they finished their race in the 500m speed skating event, the scoreboard confirmed that Michel would take home Gold, and Ronald the bronze. The real question is: Are you #teamMichel or #teamRonald?
4. Olympic spirit between Russian and Canadians
After falling several times during the course, Russian cross-country skier Anton Gafarov’s ski had broken. Though he had fallen behind in the race and was no longer a contender for an Olympic medal, Anton was determined to finish strong on his home turf. The valiant Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth jumped out from the sidelines to help Anton. He was able to fix Anton’s ski so he could go on to finish the race. Is it possible for countries to be in relationships? If so, I am a big advocate of Runada (Russia + Canada).
5. #SochiProbs
USA bobsledder Johnny Quinn has had his fair share of bad luck in Sochi. First, while showering, Johnny found himself locked inside his bathroom with a jammed door. His cries for help were un-answered, so he decided to take matters into his own hands by using his Olympic-sized muscles to barge out, leaving a wide hole in the door. He certainly came in like a wrecking ball. Two days later, Johnny Quinn found himself stuck again, this time inside an elevator whose doors seemed to have locked shut. Thankfully, everyone left the situation unharmed and safe.
That’s it folks. Sports fan or not, you’ve got one more week to be inspired by the greatness going on over in Sochi. Heck, it’s not too late to buy a plane ticket today and attend these events yourself. Just kidding, please don’t do that.