Better Than the Best

 

February 17, 2026

 

So, the Winter Olympics are in full swing. In every Olympic cycle, summer or winter, some announcer will say excitedly, “Athlete X is the best skier, skater, swimmer, runner, etc. in the world!” When I hear that, I always want to clarify: They’re the best well-known skier, skater, whatever.

 

Because there’s always someone better. Someone who didn’t get discovered, or who couldn’t afford the cost, or who just plain didn’t want to trade doing something they loved for the rigor and the non-stop training to it takes to be an Olympian; who said, “I enjoy it, I love it, I don’t want to end up hating it because it takes over my life.”

 

I’m not denying that the people who participate in the Olympics are great; they put everything they had into becoming the best, and that exemplifies the Olympic spirit.

 

But somewhere, there’s somebody better.