In the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, there was a fascinating 400-meter women’s final race for the gold medal. I am certain that every female athlete in the 400 trained with great effort, great sacrifice, and a large amount of desire. The field was packed with amazing runners. The athlete favorite in the race was an American named Allyson Felix. She had won the World Championship the year before.
As the race came to its final stretch, Allyson was racing to catch the leader, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas. Miller had the lead the entire race, but it seemed that Felix was gaining on her in the closing meters. The thrilling finish came down to fractions of a second. As both athletes came within the last few meters of the race, suddenly and unexpectedly, Shaunae Miller dove for the finish line. She knew this would be painful when she hit the track, but she knew it might be the difference in winning gold versus accepting silver.
When the results were announced it was Shaunae Miller who won the race by .07 of a second by a perfectly timed dive at the finish line. She said later, “The only thing I  was thinking was the gold medal and the next thing I know I was on the ground…it was just a reaction.” She also said, “I’ve never done it before. I have cuts and bruises, a few burns.”  I would also add, she also has an Olympic gold medal for her final stroke of relentless desire.