Thursday, 16 August 2012

We didn't think the Olympics could get any more inspiring...

There's something about the innocence of a child that can make simple actions into moments that bring tears to our eyes. And such a moment has come to us, thanks to the Canadian 4x100m relay team's Justyn Warner. The Canadian sprinters were denied a bronze medal at the London Olympics after being disqualified. That annoyed a few people, including 10-year-old Elijah Porter from Newfoundland. So he wrote the team - Warner, Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith and Jared Connaughton - a letter to cheer them up and included his own medal for them:
Here's what it says: "I'm Elijah Porter. I'm ten and I live in Newfoundland, Canada. When I heard what happened on Aug. 11, I knew it was wrong. The rules were not right. But, at last, I realized how good you were. We're Canadians. We persevere. We create better lives for each other. The cold didn’t stop us from living in the North. We didn’t lose the War of 1812. We adapt and survive. We earned our freedom. Someday if I become a biologist, or if I get rich, and, if I remember, I will donate money to the summer and winter Olympians. I hope you like the medal!" Elijah has since appeared on radio in Canada for his gesture drawing this wonderful response from Warner, who couldn't dial in to the show: "Elijah, your letter & medal was inspiring to say the least. After learning about our DQ we as a team were devastated & heartbroken, but your words & support gave reminder to us in regards to why we work so hard to represent our country. Its not just about getting the recognition and the praise for all the hard work that is put in, but more about inspiring individuals & our nation. Dream Big always & never discredit yourself in anything that you do. You get an honorary spot on our 4x100 team!!" And we thought the Olympics couldn't make us feel any better about ourselves

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