Olympians run race of faith in Tokyo

Since even before famous Scottish gold medallist Eric Liddell’s Christian testimony was immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire, torchbearers for Christ have publicly declared their faith.

The Tokyo Olympic Games are no different, with Olympians from around the world unafraid to attribute their success to the Lord. South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker praised God after her gold-medal-winning swim in the 200m breaststroke. Before competing, Tatjana from Pretoria tweeted a prayer: ‘Let the Games begin. Father God may your will be done, may your peace fill us up, may we praise you no matter what the outcome, may we be empowered by your strength to give it our all and may we forever be in the awe of your goodness!’.

US swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who won an astonishing five gold medals at Tokyo, was raised in a Christian family. His left shoulder bears a large eagle tattoo representing his favourite verse: ‘But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’

Welsh swimmer Daniel Jervis, 25, who came fifth in the men’s 1,500m freestyle event at Tokyo in his first Olympics, said after the race: ‘I am proud of many things in my life, but the thing I’m most proud of [is that] I’m a Christian and obviously, God was with me tonight, and I’m just really grateful to be representing Him.’

He publicly thanked his church, Sardis Baptist Church, Ammanford for their support. Daniel’s favourite verse is tattooed on his arm: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be terrified before them, because the Lord your God is going with you. He will not abandon you and He will not forsake you.’

Still on the water theme, Brazilian Ítalo Ferreira won gold in the first-ever Olympics surfing category, and thanked God for giving him the opportunity. Posting on social media, Ferreria, who reportedly said he prayed at 3am every day asking God to make this dream come true, wrote: ‘Thank you God, all glory to you’.

And he’s not afraid to speak of plain gospel truths. Following his win, he tweeted: ‘Jesus offers us eternal life. Everyone who turns to Jesus will one day be resurrected to live with him forever. There will be no more sadness or suffering. The pain of death for those we love is great, but in Jesus we find comfort and hope.’

On the athletics front, Guatemalan Charles Fernandez, the son of missionaries, competed in the pentathlon and tweeted before one of his events: ‘Not my will be done, but Yours #allforHim’. Away from sport, Fernandez and his wife run a ministry outside Antigua called ‘Welcome To My Father’s House’.

Australian athlete Nicola McDermott has described the high jump as ‘a platform to make Jesus known’. Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, Nicola said her faith is the reason she has stayed in the sport for so long.

‘For me,’ she said, ‘faith was realising that I am loved regardless of performance – high jumping is simply a way to connect me to God.’ Nicola became a Christian at the age of 16 and co-founded Everlasting Crowns, a ministry seeking to see other athletes transformed by the gospel.

Crediting God alone for her world-beating accomplishments, Sydney McLaughlin, 21, has won gold at the 400m hurdles competition at Tokyo. But even while experiencing extreme strain while preparing for the competition and saying publicly that her faith ‘was being tested all week’, she ‘kept hearing God say: “Just focus on me”’.

After her win, McLaughlin wrote on social media: ‘I don’t deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you Father.’