In the 400 meter finals at the 2016 Olympic games, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas found herself losing the lead to defending Olympic champion, Allyson Felix of the United States of America. There was just a few meters remaining. Using an unconventional approach, Miller dove for the finish line. No one could tell who won. It was a photo finish. Some 30 seconds later, the board revealed that Miller won by seven one hundreds of a second.
Joe’s Perspective #1 – Desire: This dive inspires me. Did you ever hear the term, “She wanted it more?” This feat demonstrates someone who was willing to give everything to achieve her goals. Miller undoubtedly trained her whole life for this one moment and with the Gold slipping away, she sacrificed her body to pick up an extra hundredth of a second or two… and that proved to be the difference. ‘I’ve never done it before,’ Miller said of her dive. ‘I have some cuts and bruises, a few burns… it hurts.’
Joe’s Perspective #2 – sour grapes: Diving is clearly within the rules. The rules clearly state that whoever puts their torso over the line first, wins… period… regardless of whether or not that person is running, crawling or diving. So, just because some ignorant people want to cry foul, Miller won fair and square. She gave everything she had and came away with everything. Good for her. A true inspiration.
Your Turn:
1) Does this inspire you the way it did me?
2) What do you say to those individuals who say Miller cheated Felix out of Gold?
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
1. This does not inspire me, honestly, that much, but it does make me want to think outside of the box to achieve my goals fairly.
2. To the people who say that Miller cheated Felix out of the gold, clearly don’t know that Brazilian Joao Vitor De Oliveira did it as well to qualify in the semi-finals in the 110 meter hurdles, and that this is not common, but not rare.
I agree with Madison that it only really inspires me to strive to achieve my goals in a morally right way- not just legal.
I think that yea legally she won and I don’t know about cheating her out of winning because they both really wanted to win, but it’s not right that’s what I’m sure of.
this inspire more than anything knowing how bad that could hurt diving your own body to achieve something you worked all your life for. she dive for that win , she didn’t care how bad it was gonna hurt she was gonna achieve what she worked hard for. i say there ignerent they don’t know what there talking about she didn’t cheat she through her whole body to finish like that nothing to cheat about people are just being ignerent.
1. This inspires me. She worked hard for this moment and she deserved to win. This inspires me to never give up and try your hardest to succeed. Do whatever you have to do, to succeed.
2. I think those individuals think its wrong that she jumped to win. I dont find anything wrong with that, because she did what she had to do to win
1.) This does inspire me the way it probably inspired you, it showed me that no matter what just keep on pushing yourself to the limit and do not give up on yourself. If your dedicated to what you do then so do it.
2.) I say that miller did not cheat if she passed the finish line with her torso over it then she won no matter what. Miller deserves it either way. She didn’t give up she kept pushing herself to the limit until she reached that finish line. She did not give up on herself and she is still a champ she only got left with burns, cuts, and bruises but that is all dedication.
this did inspire me because she was defending the gold and it seems like she will do anything to keep that gold even if she gets cut, bruises or a few burns. it shows that she wasn’t gonna give up and inspire me to never give up. they say she cheated because she dived probably because they never seen anyone dive and cross the finish line first and take the gold home before.
This attempt of winning gold in the Olympics was purely driven by how much she really wanted to win. This feat would inspire me and others to keep going even if it’s not turning out well, there has gotta be some good to come out of it.
Yes it inspired me the way it did to you because after she found herself losing the lead she didn’t give up and did everything she can to come out with the win. I say to them that she was the first one to cross the line and in the rule book ,there is no rule that says you can’t dive so, there ‘s no problem with.
i think that its ok because its something that she wanted so badly, and others do unique and maybe different things to get what they worked so hard for.
1) This does inspire me. she was falling behind in a race and once you are at the end you want to give up. She gave it her last pushing effort to win and she took the Gold.
1) This inspires me because she gave it her all. She wanted to win and tried her best to get the gold. She gave that extra effort and was rewarded by it.
2) To the people who say Miller cheated Felix out of Gold diving is allowed in the rules. There is no rules saying she is not allowed to do so.
1) It did somewhat inspire me because Shaunae did risk further injuries to win gold and I think that she did not give up and technically did not break any rules. It did not inspire me as much because I think silver would be just as fine as gold and winning a meddle should just be an honor, I think the other runner deserved it more because she was leading and if she had dove like Shaunae would have one, I do not think Shaunae got the meddle she deserved but I applaud her for not giving up and that is inspiring that she did not.
Shaunae Miller’s dedication to the race she came in first place in has inspired me, to like her, go beyond the expectations in order to set achievements. While there is a controversy of fairness, I believe Allyson Felix could have just as well dove over the finish line. Any of the athletes could have. Miller thought to do it and displayed her dedication and passion for the sport and her country in doing everything in her power to succeed.
1) This does not inspire me because just because its legal does it make it right?
2) Its not cheating if its allowed and she wasn’t disqualified but is it ethically right to do so?
1) It is inspiring to see how much dedication she would put into a single race. She was willing to physically hurt herself to win gold that she had worked for for so long, so good for her.
2) Miller did not cheat because the rules clearly say that diving is allowed. People should respect her decision to win the race however she could.
This inspires me to achieve my goals and get where i want to be and be able to push to get there. I think she on fair and square even though people think she cheated.
It inspires me because she did everything possible to win. She physically hurt herself but to win what she wanted the most, and that didn’t stop her. It is not cheating because it says that all you need to do is get your torso over the line and she did that, with confidence.
This does inspire me because she hurt her self and she still wanted to win in different ways.
It does not inspire me because she didn’t do everything she could to win she just fell or hurt herself landed with her hands on the floor to save her fall . Her hand had landed past the finish line.
no i don’t feel inspired
and she won fair
1. She does inspire me because she is fighting for something she wanted and worked so hard for something that she worked so long for.
2. I strongly disagree because if you look at the picture it clearly shows that 3/4 of her body is over the line done deal there is no rule in the rule book that states that she cant dive. Leave her be she one get over it.
This inpired me to work harder to bee everything i want to be and to invest to inspire others
I think that she did her best to achieve her goal of wining the gold and she did everything with in the rules
I give her props for diving, because mots girls I know would never dive for any reason. But I don’t believe that diving is fair in a sport that is specifically for running, that is why they have long jump. Accept defeat with grace and pride then come back next year to prove your better.
im not really inspired by it because i don’t care but it was amazing. and what i say to other individuals is that it honestly looks like she tripped from the other videos i watched.
It does not inspire me because I don’t think its that important. I do believe she won in a fair way though, because its allowed in the rules.
not really, I don’t really find other people inspiring, that’s just how I am. What I have to say to the Haters is, the thing is we America has done the same thing so either we give up your metals or she gets to keep hers.
This inspires me because she risked getting scraped and possibly injured just to get the gold medal.
I strongly disagree because if it wasn’t against the rules so there you go.
1. ye it wis inspired because she was trying so hard that she decided to jump so what if people complained they would’ve done the same no doubt about it.
2. she win fair and ◻ gg no probs
I think she did not do it right because she dove
I agree with her about striving for goals and having strong dreams, but I don’t think the way she won is fair. She also risked getting injured which shows how dedicated she is, but she should’ve ran and won fairly.
I myself run track, and this deeply inspires me. If I were in this particular situation I would do the exact same thing. What are a few cuts and bruises when the outcome is knowing you gave it your all? To the individuals that believe Felix was cheated out of her gold, I have to agree with them. Shaunae Miller could not keep up with Ms. Felix. In all honesty, I believe Allyson Felix trained harder and did deserve that Olympic Gold Medal.
To those individuals who say Miller cheated Felix out of Gold, you are correct. She took the easy way to win this gold. Not only did she take the easy way, she proved herself that she could not face that fact of her losing. Poor sportmanship
I think that the way she dived to the finish line shows how bad she wanted it. I have taken some falls on a track myself and they don’t feel good. So Shaunae definitely wanted it more than Allyson and she sacrificed her body to acheiver her goal of being an Olympic Gold Medalist and it all payed off.
I think this is very inspiring because its different how she choice to sacrifice her body to win the gold. She did anything to reach her dream and she got it. I don’t think she cheated Felix because she just wanted to win so she did something to do it.
This right here show that she love what she is doing so she is willing to do anything to win so she can feel the pride and happiness to win.
This story inspires me. I think It’s great that she wanted to win so bad that she dived at the last second. But another part of me says it was slightly unfair, even though it was within the rules. Allyson probably thought she had it in the bag. Then out of nowhere she loses the medal that she almost knew she would win.
I think Nathan Yagodinski equally has the drive to win as this woman. Jon Deprey can run faster than her too.
I think she was just striving for what she wanted and did everything she can to get that Gold.
This video doesn’t really inspire me, however, it is a great act of dedication.
I do not think she was cheated out of gold. Miller wanted the gold more and won fair and square. If Felix had wanted it enough, she would have also dived.
1.) Miller’s actions are very inspiring because she gave it her all and was rewarded as a result. I can imagine diving to the finish line would be painful, but Miller gave it her all.
2.) Those who say Miller cheated Felix out of Gold are wrong because the rule states that whoever puts their torso over the line first wins. It doesn’t matter how someone goes about doing that and Miller chose to dive for the Gold.
1. This inspires me to strive to win fairly and morally. I think her decision to dive showed her devotion to her sport and her desire to sacrifice whatever it takes to win.
2. I do not believe Miller cheated in any way. She simply found a way to beat Felix to the finish line because she wanted it that badly.
This inspired me because it shows how dedicated Miller was when it came to winning the gold medal, even if it meant possible controversy and cuts. To the people who are saying that Miller cheated: she did not cheat if the rule book justified her action.
This inspires me because, she risked her body, to scraps, cuts, and bruises. She could’ve lost by 700th of a second but she knew the rules and she know the boundary she was about to pass would create a lot of argumentative controversy. But she didnt care and she knew what she had to do to seal the win. To those that think otherwise, thats fine if you think that she cheated the other runner out of her gold but she did what she did and came out with the win fair and square.
1. It does inspire me because she wanted it bad and she did not want to lose so it is saying work hard and never give up
2. I dont think she cheated because she clearly did something legal and she obviously wanted to win but at the end it was fair and square
I think she did what she could to win she did what a lot of people wouldn’t do to get that W
I’m not really inspired I am more of one of those people that don’t like to think outside of the box when it come to sports but is still inspiring.
2.To the people saying that she cheated and beat Felix because of it. I think it is ok because she still finished and many people have done it before and it probably doesn’t say she can’t in the rule book. So I think it’s ok what she did and Felix could have done the same thing.
This inspires me because even though she was loosing her lead she gave everything and dived into the finish line to win and people say she cheated but she leaned forward and it has been do e before so it was nothin wrong with what she did.
1)It did and didn’t inspire me. Miller definitely showed that she wanted it more and how much passion she shows toward getting the gold, but at the same time the race is a running race…the other girl ran to the finish, but Miller didn’t.
2) I tend to agree with them to an extent. Miller didn’t run the whole race and it’s a running race. I know if I lost to someone who dived past the line I would feel cheated.
Shaunae Miller’s dedication to the race she came in first place in has inspired me, to like her, go beyond the expectations in order to set achievements. While there is a controversy of fairness, I believe Allyson Felix could have just as well dove over the finish line. Any of the athletes could have. Miller thought to do it and displayed her dedication and passion for the sport and her country in doing everything in her power to succeed.
I think the dive was odd because not much people do that. She got 1st so that’s all she wanted
1. It didn’t really inspire me because I am a little shy, I would have never thought to do that.
2. To the people who don’t agree with what Miller did I would say that, yes she could of just ran and lost but she didn’t, she wanted to win for herself and country so she did what she did and it payed off.
1. I wasn’t too inspired by it. Sure it was impressive but maybe not too inspiring.
2. Id say to these individuals that Miller acted accordingly to the rules and criticizing someone for doing something rarely done but still okay is ridiculous.
This does inspire me because she wanted gold so much that she did anything for it. To those who said Miller cheated Felix out of gold, Miller ran the race fairly since the rules state that anyone who puts their torso over the finish line first wins, and she did just that.
It inspired me a bit because it shows that she was the one who wanted the medal more. And no I don’t think she cheated the other girl out of a medal because what she did was fair in the rule book.
1. This inspires me because When it came down too it, she did everything she could to get gold.
2. To those who say she cheated Felix out of a medal, she didn’t cheat. Yeah maybe she won in an unconventional way, bout what works works and as long as she didn’t break any rules there is really no debate.