The One Hit Wonder

In all my years of competing, I’ve come to an absolute conclusion: anyone can win a competition. Whether it’s a lucky turn of events, conditions that suit certain strengths, or a payoff of training, the results of a competition simply can’t be predicted.

Underdogs keep winning championships and new superstars are revealed over and over again. It’s a great feeling to be one of those underdogs. No one was betting on you, but you kept your head down, tried your best, and lo and behold, you actually won.

Sometimes these underdogs are there to stay, but other times, we see them just once and they’re gone. As impressive as whatever the feat was that brought them to their temporary stardom, it’s important to remember that while anyone can win a competition, winning consistently is the real challenge. Being the undeniable winner is what puts you down in history. Maybe you’ll lose a match here and there, but the season always belongs to you.

And when you sit down to think about that, all of a sudden that one-off underdog victory doesn’t seem that great. There might even be scrutiny of it. Imagine an athlete that won a National Championship four years ago, but failed to make finals since. You can see where people’s minds might go - where their own minds might go: “I’ve lost my edge”, “I just got lucky”, “I was a flash in the pan” ...etc.