Across sports or anything in life for that matter, when records are set—though it is common knowledge that the record is there for someone to break it—for a while it will always look like it is set for eternity. Nobody can touch it. When Paula Radcliffe’s set her record at the London Marathon in 2003, running 2:15:25, it certainly looked untouchable, stretching the length of sixteen years remaining just so. In that time Radcliffe remained the only woman to have run a marathon in under 2 hours 17 minutes. But Brigid Kosgei has shattered that record, setting a new one that stands at 2:14:04 on Sunday. It is a remarkable feat for the Kenyan international.
Brigid Kosgei making Kenya proud
Indeed, by extension, it has been a remarkable week for all of Kenya. Eliud Kipchoge, in a feat that could be described as largely symbolic yet significant, ran 26.2 miles within 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds in Vienna. A time frame within which that distance was once thought inconceivable. Kipchoge, 34, is an eight-time major marathon winner and three-time Olympic medalist, and in achieving this recent milestone he made history. He pounded his chest as he passed the finish line in Prater Park.
A day later Kosgei would go ahead and set a world record. According to her, she had her countryman Kipchoge in mind in the hours leading up to her victory. She even had a last-minute change of heart and decided to switch her shoes to match Kipchoge’s Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT. He wore them in Vienna.
“I kept saying, ‘Tomorrow is my day,’” she said. Also, “I wanted to be the second Kipchoge — the Kipchoge for women. I focused on that.”
How to raise your daughter a winner
Image Credit: Under Armour
Winning big often happens in a select time in someone’s life. But to even dare to reach such a moment require plenty of work behind the scenes. Here are a few tips to raise your daughter a winner.
- Let her choose her own path in life. You’re just there to support her. You don’t have to like the path she chooses. Remember, it’s not your journey.
- Teach her that competition matters. Allow her to compete at a young age. Wherever there’s a competition and she’s interested, let her do it. Only then will she experience the joy of winning, the pain of losing, and everything in between. Only experience can teach certain things.
- Teach her that hard work and persistence will take her to heights talent will not. Relying on just talent will have her faltering by the wayside. A talented person will go home in the morning, but a persistent person will tarry until evening. Making sure she has given her all.
- Finally, and this is the most important, tell her that in life as she chases those dreams nothing may be enough. Only her. She is and always will be enough.
Conclusion
As you teach your daughter to be competitive and reach for greater heights, don’t lose sight of what’s important. She is your baby girl and she needs your love always.
Read more: How to raise fierce, clever girls who don’t know the meaning of “can’t”
Source: Nytimes
Image credit: Mike Segar/Reuters
