The Winner
He had won the Olympics! He had run 100 meters faster than everybody else! When he climbed the podium and received the gold medal, the crowd was cheering and his mother couldn’t hold her tears back.
In the evening, it was difficult to relax and go to sleep. A movie kept playing in his head where he saw himself crossing the finish line, totally exhausted but happier than ever before.
He had to bring the medal to school next day! In his class, they were five children with Down’s syndrome. His friends would be excited to see his medal!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYour story really resonated with me Christer. My youngest daughter is disabled and I can’t tell you how proud I was when she won 2 medals in the Special Olympics in Sheffield in 1993. You’ve captured so well the excitement of winning a medal. A heartwarming story.
It makes me very emotional to read your comment, Linda. Thank you very much! What a nice coincidence that our conversation inspired Voice.club to start with the 100 word stories, and that my first story had a special significance for you. I hope your daughter is doing well.
She is doing really well Christer and is the light of my life. Yes, what a nice coincidence.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleIt makes all of us emotional to read your story, Christer and your comment,
Linda Rock. Thanks to both of you for your sensitivity and understanding of the human heart. Lovely story, Christer.
Thank you, Fuji. I appreciate your kind words. If we, with our stories, can stir the heart of another human, we certainly have accomplished something.
I’ll have to agree with Fuji! Both your story, Christer and your comment, Linda, are making us emotional and may I say how motivational they are.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleOur children make us so proud don’t they? I can remember the tension of watching them skate in competitions, even the little club ones, and the relief for them when they felt they’d done well. Your story really captured the essence of the joy any child feels at doing well, Christer. Great job.
Thank you, Carrie. I’m glad the story resonated with you.
The beauty of writing Christer is in the connections we make with the reader, as you have done with Linda. This is a lovely story Christer, and like your other one – this is also true? Because it is about the Spirit of the individual.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Eric. As you can see in my comment to Fuji above, I agree with you about the aim for this kind of writing. This story is not based on a factual event as my other gold-story, but I once attended a Special Olympics event and my heart was deeply touched when I watched the children competing. I found a wonderful photo of a very happy child with Down’s syndrome participating… Read more »
Your story brings back my memory of when my firstborn showed me her award and medal when she was 11 years old. It was a mixed emotion of happiness and pride, I can’t tell exactly how it was. You perfectly describe the beauty of winning in your story.
Thank you very much, Lotchie. It makes me happy to see that my story touched your heart. There was a part of the story that I unsuccessfully tried to fit in: The child went to sleep with the medal clasped in his/her hand. The experience had been so overwhelming that he/she didn’t want to let go of it. However, I ran out of words and had to leave it out. Did that… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYes, she did. And the funny thing is she is in hurry to bring her medal to her granny who is far away from our home even it is already late evening. She cannot wait for tomorrow to come, and then she sleeps while crying and holding her medal.
I do hope the other children expressed excitement too.
I am sure that they were such close friends that they shared his happiness. Probably he became their hero for the day.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAs a child still, I can totally relate to what the character is feeling! The adrenaline, the excitement of sharing your joy with others and the desire to make your parents and fellow classmates proud… These feelings make us move forward and push ourselves even harder. Thank you, Christer, for reminding this to all of us.
Thank you very much, Katy. Your country is the origin for the Olympics, so I imagine you have a special sense for it. And I assume you also have special Olympics for children?
Unfortunately, there are no special Olympics for children that are held just in Greece.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThese games are held internationally, even though they are originated from my country, but if your question is if there are Olympics for children generally, then the answer is yes. There are also the games called “Paralympics” in which people with special needs and characteristics are able to participate.