--- title: "True mediocrity is not trying" published: 2016-01-22 updated: 2026-08-04 source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/la-verdadera-mediocridad-es-no-intentarlo" --- # True mediocrity is not trying **"Going to the Olympic Games just to participate is a waste, it doesn't make sense to bring an athlete who barely manages to qualify. After all, if they have no chance of winning, better they don't go make a fool of themselves, invest the resources in new athletes". In short, that's what many think.** After César Lizano, Jenny Méndez and Jonathan Varela's failed attempt last weekend, criticism rained down from the cyber sky: "Better they didn't make it, so we don't waste more money since they didn't have a chance of winning anything in Rio 2016 anyway!", many said. And that's fine. I mean, it's a valid point of view. But gentlemen, with all due respect, you are wrong. Not because I say so, that wouldn't mean much. It was said by none other than the founder of the modern Olympic Games, the man who wrote the Olympic Charter with his own hand and detailed the values of Olympism in it. And, surprise surprise, those values are not gold, nor silver, nor bronze. They're also not about winning and winning and conquering and defeating, nor being the best of all or better not to be at all. No gentlemen, the Olympic spirit is not about winning, it's about trying, and that is not mediocrity. True mediocrity is not trying. 120 years ago, while inaugurating the first edition of the modern Olympic Games there in Greece, Baron Pierre de Coubertin said it loud and clear: "The Olympic Spirit seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, on the educational value of good example and on the universal respect of fundamental ethical principles". Okay: neither César, nor Jenny, nor Gabriela Traña are going to win the marathon at the Olympic Games. We know that and they know it better than anyone. But they are right now, among all five and a half million Costa Ricans, the ones closest to representing this small country in the marathon of the world's largest sporting event. And what good is that if they won't win? Well, a lot. As Coubertin's words say: education and example. How many children are not seeing César in his efforts to go to Rio 2016? How many didn't see Gabriela Traña in the marathon at the London Olympic Games? They, although they are not the best marathoners in the world, are the best marathoners in Costa Rica and are the best example for those who see them. They also educate: they demonstrate perseverance, struggle and effort to get ahead. Perhaps César and Gabriela saw José Luis Molina in Atlanta '96, and perhaps Molina saw Rafael Ángel Pérez in Munich '72. None of them won or came close to winning, but perhaps from there many drew inspiration and example to get ahead. Again, Coubertin's wisdom: "The most important thing in sport is not to win, but to participate, because the essential thing in life is not success, but to strive to achieve it". It's not mediocrity, it's an example of struggle and determination to get ahead. Only a few can be the best in the world, and that doesn't mean everyone else is mediocre. We can all try to be the best, and that is the value that the Olympic Games seeks to convey. That's why in London 2012, 10,568 athletes participated and only 302 gold medals were awarded. If the Olympic motto were to win, win and win, probably fewer than 1,000 athletes who actually had a chance of winning would have competed. The others are not going to stroll around, they go because they have earned the right to be there among the best in the world with their country's flag on their chest. They go because they are motivation for many and because they are living proof that you can reach the world's best sporting competition with effort and discipline. Of course they should fight to be better, of course it would be great if they fought for gold like the Poll sisters did in the eighties and nineties, but come on, all the athletes in the world are trying too and you can't always reach the top. There are moments, there are stages, there are streaks. And in the meantime, while we're not at the top, we have to keep fighting. "The best thing about dreams is that they can come true", another stroke of genius from Coubertin. And why not invest in new talent, in younger athletes who can do it better? Of course, we agree. But it's not that by supporting César and Gabriela, who are already in their thirties, they're going to stop supporting others. They are supported, despite their age, because they are still the best. And in the process the National Olympic Committee is supporting all those who come with more youth in their blood. But before dreaming of golds and silvers, that youth first has to see and learn what it costs to barely qualify for the Games. And to teach them, there are the Césars, the Gabrielas, the Nerys and all the others. So more respect, and encouragement for all those who try. A Buen Paso uses [Massivo](https://massivoai.com), the event-registration platform that powers this article.