amazing awaits

where we least expect it,

or after training for it all our lives.

it awaits in 200m,

in a hundredth of a second,

in our courageous first step,

and with our every last breath.

it awaits on the shoulders of our teammates,

in the footsteps of our heroes,

when we shatter records,

and our spirit proves unbreakable.

amazing awaits

when a small-town playground takes us

to the world’s stage,

and when the distance is measured in effort,

when hope makes up hopefuls,

and bravery carries us on her back.

it awaits when we cross finish lines,

and when the journey has just begun,

when we come from nothing, from nowhere,

over hurdles, over mountains.

amazing awaits in our Olympians,

in all Americans,

in the honor of victory,

and the glory of pursuit.

it awaits when we work hard enough,

want badly enough,

and refuse to say we’ve had enough.

with a nation behind us,

with a world before us,

and within us all…

USOC