Richard Weinberger, a 22-year-old swimmer living and training in British Columbia, has won an Olympic medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Friday, he chased across the finish line the winner just 5.2 seconds behind to claim a bronze medal in the 10 kilometre open-water swimming – a sport introduced to the Olympics in the 2008 Bejiing Games.
Richard’s mother, Marina, is a former resident of Lawn – a daughter of Stephen and Theresa Brockerville. The entire community was, rightly so, ecstatic about Richard’s swim.
To achieve a medal in the Olympics – no matter the colour – means an individual has reached the pinnacle of their sport.
The Ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC with the modern Olympics (IOC) reviewed in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The Games strive to pit the best athletes in competing nations against each other.
The Olympic motto is ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’, a Latin expression meaning ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’.
The ideals of the Games are further expressed in the Olympic creed:
‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well’.
The most vivid images on television, during coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, are the handshakes and hugs the athletes offer each other after their particular events are finished. The same congratulations is given to those who win as well as those who finish last.
Because in the end, the Olympic Games is not about winning and losing – it’s about competing and doing your best!
Congratulations Richard. You did your best and excelled.
George Macvicar, Editor/Manager
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