Shun Fujimoto and the 1976 Olympics;

Shun Fujimoto is a retired Japanese gymnast. Shun represented his country during the 1976 Summer Olympics, and demonstrated a level of desire for achievement beyond what most could muster. His commitment won his team the gold.

Fujimoto competed in two events, the pommel horse and the rings. He managed to score an impressive 9.5 on the pommel horse, and his and his teams efforts kept them in a narrow battle for the gold medal with the Soviet Union. It looked like the last event, the rings, would decide the victor between the two nations.

During floor exercises, Shun injured his knee. Wanting to compete above all else, he paid little attention to his injured knee, and despite his trainers advise, went up to the rings. The rings are situated 8 feet up in the air. A successful routine involves completing a series of gymnastic feats while holding on to one or both of the rings, and then dismounting (jumping) down to the ground.

Fujimoto completed a nearly flawless routine, with an injured knee. Indeed, he dismounted the rings from eight feet in the air, landed with his feet together, kept his footing and balance, and raised his arm in a perfect finish. He collapsed in agony; the perfect dismount aggravated his injury. Doctors would later find that multiple ligaments in his knee were torn, his knee cap had dislocated several times during the routine.

One of the examining doctors remarked later, ‘How he managed to do somersaults and twists and land without collapsing in screams is beyond my comprehension.”

Fujimoto’s impressive display helped his team defeat the Soviet Union by a narrow margin. Remember Shun Fujimoto the next time you don’t feel like doing something. Feelings are just that, feelings. Your actions are yours completely.