This is what 6,000 members of the Tokyo Medical Practitioners’ Association insisted on in May this year because Japan was in the midst of a fourth wave of COVID-19. Even in a poll done last April, 72 percent of Japanese people wanted the Olympic Games canceled or postponed. Yet, in the face of mounting criticism and resistance, Japan pressed on and kicked off the Tokyo Olympics last July 23, 2021. And the world is thankful that it did! Japan seemed to embody in this decision the qualities which define the Olympic champion: determination, perseverance, and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. For this feat, the nation of Japan deserves its own Olympic gold medal!

In hindsight, the decision to finally stage the Tokyo Olympics was affirmed by everyone as the right, indeed the best, decision. In a world gripped by a deadly pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics was not only an exhilarating distraction but a unifying and uplifting experience for all the nations that were cheering for its athletes. Amid gloom and anxiety, countries saw reason to hope and celebrate the struggles and triumphs of the 11,091 athletes who participated in it.

This singular experience is best exemplified in the historic win of one of our country’s athletes. After nearly 100 years, the Philippines clinched its first Olympic gold medal. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz not only won the first gold medal for the country; she also set a new Olympic record, lifting a combined weight of 224 kilograms, or around 493 pounds, across two lifts. The stark difference between the breathtaking joy given by Hidilyn’s colossal feat and the excruciating pain inflicted by the President’s SONA was so absolute that thousands of netizens exclaimed, in what has become a viral post on the Internet: “First Gold… last SONA!”

Hidilyn’s epic race to Olympic gold was long, arduous, and filled with struggles. She spoke of almost giving up the race because of the lack of government support, the long period of being away from her family, the aggravation from being implicated in an “ouster plot matrix” and the sheer physical pain of endless training. In the end, she turned to God for help: “Gusto ko nang sumuko dahil sa dami ng pinagdaanan ko. Kaya natin ito. Huwag kayong sumuko. Manalangin tayo kay God. Iga-guide niya tayo.”

An edifying moment right after breaking the Olympic and world record was Hidilyn’s gesture of thanks to God and Our Lady for her victory: “Talagang grabe si God.” At the close of the playing of the Philippine National Anthem, Hidilyn, clutching the Miraculous Medal that hung on her neck, points upward to God to signify that she owed to God and to Our Lady the triumph of her race, against all odds, to Olympic gold.

Like Hidilyn, we all are – without exception – in a race. It is a race that is unique for each one, yet common to all. The prize is infinitely more precious, more lasting, and more satisfying than any Olympic gold medal: Heaven forever!

In this race, we compete against no one but ourselves. And yes, we can all win, for my brother’s victory does not diminish mine. The starting line, like the finish line, is different for each of us. It starts at the moment of our birth… and ends with our final breath. The challenge in this race is that we do not know when, where, and how our race will end.

One day, at the end of our race, we would like to repeat with St. Paul the words he said at the conclusion of his own race: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).