She was sick all night. So much so, that by 5.30am -the day
of her Commonwealth Games race in Glasgow- she was on a drip in hospital. Add the that the fact that her
operation previously meant that she still had an open wound and things were
not looking so good.
Lynsey Sharp is a Scottish athlete and that day was the day she
competed in the 800 metres final. She had scraped in as a ‘fastest loser’ so things
were not adding up to any kind of medal. But on the night, she ran. And ran. Breaking apart the Kenyan/Ugandan
duo expected to win, she came away with a silver medal.
It was her last race. Her
final time on the bike. But rather than try and win, she did something
extraordinary. She pushed on ahead, sacrificing her own stamina to help her
younger colleague get the gold. And a silver for her- Emma Pooley.
He was in the first leg of the 100 metres relay, first round.
But as he stretched away, Kimmari Roache’s leg gave way. Extreme pain. But he
kept going. He had to keep going. He owed it to his teammates, and especially
Usain Bolt, world 100 metres champion who ran the final leg for Jamaica. Many
would have given up. But Kimmari ran through the pain. The rest, as they say,
is history.
Now aged 40, with a 10
month old child not so long ago, Jo Pavey could have been forgiven for simply
finishing well. It looked like a brave fourth place when she was passed, but
she fought back. She finished brilliantly. Breaking into the Kenyan domination
of the event, she reached the line and took the bronze.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out
for us, fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12: 1
