Pushing Further, Essay Example

The below essay will focus on extraordinary achievements of athletes who refuse to sit back and push themselves further every time. The author would like to review three examples of personal achievements where the athlete stepped out of their comfort zone to achieve better results.

“Great athletes do not reach the top by talent alone but by pushing themselves to the limit and beyond.”

The first example that the above statement is true is the career of Rafael Nadal, famous Spanish tennis player. He has suffered from many sports related injuries, and – instead of giving up – he always returned to training. He had the determination that led to success, including an Olympic gold. He just returned to the China Open after successfully recovering from his wrist injury. He said to the BBC recently: “”Every time when I come back after an injury I have an extra motivation”. He even wrote a book to encourage fellow sportsmen and people who need motivation to push themselves beyond limit. He tells the readers how he started off in Majorca as a child and talks about how he managed to overcome personal and physical obstacles.

Consistency and continuous improvement is the strength of the next athlete: LeBron James. He is the top scorer of Miami Heat, and is known as a player with a personal style to dominate the court and the entire opposition team. Changing teams and going to Cleveland Cavaliers in the new season was a great challenge for the player, as he had to adapt his basketball style to the new team’s preferences and culture. The new team is completely different from his old club, and he will need to push himself to adapt to the new requirements. While it would be comfortable for him to stay in the old team and keep on doing what he has been in the past years, he looks at the change as a challenge to tackle, even if it is not comfortable at all times.

Floyd Mayweather is known by his strict gym workout schedules before championships. He is a five-division champion of the world, and despite he suffered a major knockdown during his career, he came back. He retired from boxing in 2007, but returned in 2009 with a winning match against Juan Manuel Marquez. It must have been hard to get back to training routines and adjusting his lifestyle again to championship requirements, and he had to push himself to the limit to get his strength and fitness back. He always sets himself new targets, and currently holds a record for being undefeated 44-0 with an impressive 26 KO-s.

The examples of the above sportsmen have showed that real achievements do not simply come by, and hard work, determination, personal goal setting, and willpower are needed to achieve extraordinary results. The athletes reviewed in the current essay have not only proved physical strength, but also the ability to come through as winners, even when the odds were against them. They are all self-motivated, highly disciplined, who are not afraid of a challenge that will take them beyond their limitations. Nadal pulled through several injuries and returned as a winner, LeBron James took on the challenge to start afresh in a new team to improve himself, while Mayweather regained his fitness level after years of retirement. The stories of the great athletes can motivate not only sportspeople, but also everyone who is planning to achieve above average results in their lives.

Works Cited

BBC. “Rafael Nadal to make return from injury in China Open next week” 2014. Web.