Christa Ackroyd: Courageous Olympians are all heroes as far as I am concerned

The hours and hours of training it takes to appear on a world stage is mind blowing. The early rises and the late nights, day in day out, from an impossibly early age for that one shot to be the best is the sacrifice they all make. The moments away from the cameras often alone struggling to be good enough to grasp that chance of victory is the epitome of humour spirit. The remarkable feats of endurance, the injuries, the highs and the lows.. and still they get back up to go again, whether the reward sees tears of victory or tears of disappointment. They are superhuman, both mentally and physically, champions even if they do not end up with a medal around their necks.

This year the Olympics so far will be defined as one of the greatest to watch. For me at least. But then I say that every time. Not for the world records which will inevitably tumble. And not for the new heroes whose lives will be forever changed as they taste victory for the first time, the emerging superstars. Those who entered the arena as unknowns to all but the experts and emerge as household names.

For me so far the story of the Paris Olympics has been those who have overcome such dark days that they fell out of love with all they have dedicated their lives to. And still they came back, stronger than ever. It gives us mere mortals hope.

Adam Peaty has been the golden boy of British swimming for so many years. Consecutive gold medals at consecutive Olympics in the 100m breaststroke made him immortal. And then he fell out of love with it. Worse than that, he hated it. His mental health imploded, his relationship with the mother of his child collapsed and he turned to drink. Describing the sport as having broken him he admitted he didn’t want to see a swimming pool ever again. And this from the man who from being a young boy had spent almost as much time in the water as he had on land. Unable to face another day of training he gave up and seemingly gave in. And yet he returned. A fingernail touch away from winning gold once more, not only was he happy with silver, this week he described it as his most important victory. He smiled, he cried, he sobbed. He may have been beaten by an agonising .02 seconds but he had beaten his own demons. And that for him meant more. What a moment to savour. Human endeavour at its finest.

Simone Biles imploded at the Tokyo Olympics suffering what is known in the sport of gymnastics as the twisties when a gymnast suddenly loses all sense of where they are in the air and where they will land. She withdrew from the team final and the women’s all round believing America would hate her. That the world would hate her. Far from it. To withdraw (and later come back to take bronze on the beam) took incredible guts. She and other American gymnasts were at the time preparing to testify to the senate about the years of abuse, physical, mental and sexual, many of them had suffered at the hands of coach Larry Nasser. The pressure was intolerable, their route to victory had been even more so. And now she is back too. And so is her smile. Never giving up never giving in when all eyes are upon her in Paris. Similar stories abound. And there will be more to come. Our bronze medal in the canoe slalom came from Kimberley Woods who had resorted to self harming and treatment for depression seeking therapy in a clinic which she said saved her life. These stories are both heart breaking and awe inspiring.

But I want to end this week with a woman who isn’t an athlete, isn’t a sporting hero yet her years of dedication and hard work, just as all consuming as any sporting hero, has taken her to superstar status. Céline Dion has never been my favourite female singer. The gold medal of vocal athletics has always gone to Barbra for me. But I know it has been her life and that she has given pleasure to millions around the world. Then her world imploded too. A rare and largely unknown and incurable neurological illness known as stiff persons syndrome destroyed her and destroyed her voice.

The documentary detailing her struggles was as raw as anything I have seen on television. To witness her trying to sing, her voice and spirit broken was painful. To see her body engulfed in spasms which was unbelievably brave to allow us to witness, shocking. And then her final vow that she would be back no matter what it took. Even for one brief moment she needed to find control of her voice and therefore control of her life. But it seemed an impossible dream .

Céline Dion for me saved a chaotic rain soaked Olympic ceremony. In doing so she almost certainly saved herself in a momentous feat of mind over matter as Olympian as any who take to the field of sport during these games.

Whether her voice remains or whether her victory was fleeting it doesn’t matter. Like Rob Burrow with MND, Celine has become a voice for those one in a million people who suffer from stiff persons syndrome. She has given them hope and us the best performance of her life. As she stood strong and firm shimmering in her Dior dress on the Eiffel Tower belting out Edith Piaff’s Hymme a L’amour it was one of the greatest comebacks of all time, 26 years after she had appeared at the Atlanta Olympics.

Victory was hers against the odds. And that to me will always be the joy and the tears of the Olympics, that we get to savour each moment knowing what it cost to get there. Congratulations to all who made it to the start line. You are all winners.