Olympic athletes in Paris are winning medals. They're also voicing wisdom

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

There have been a lot of extraordinary performances at the Summer Olympics. But NPR's Brian Mann, who is in Paris for the Games, says he's also been surprised by what he's heard, and the wisdom and common sense of many of these athletes. Here is Brian's reporter's notebook.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: When you think about athletes talking in the locker room, what comes to mind is that classic scene from the baseball movie "Bull Durham."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BULL DURHAM")

KEVIN COSTNER: (As Crash Davis) You're going to have to learn your cliches.

MANN: The older athlete is teaching the younger athlete to speak without saying anything.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BULL DURHAM")

COSTNER: (As Crash Davis) We got to play them one day at a time.

TIM ROBBINS: (As Nuke LaLoosh) It's pretty boring, you know?

COSTNER: (As Crash Davis) Of course it's boring. That's the point. Write it down.

MANN: And, yeah, sometimes, talking to Olympians, you hear that kind of stuff. But spending time with these athletes coming off the track, or out of the pool, I slowly realized a lot of these people were saying stuff that's pretty powerful, and sort of deep. Here's one moment that flipped a switch for me - swimmer Nic Fink talking about getting older, becoming a father.

NIC FINK: The changes, you know, I've been embracing them along the way, and I think - I told myself that - or swimming wasn't going to get in the way of life anymore. I really wanted to kind of find a better balance.

MANN: You hear about life balance a lot from these athletes. They don't actually talk about winning all that much. They talk about their process, improving themselves, often in tiny ways. Michelle Sechser is an Olympic rower.

MICHELLE SECHSER: Every day, if I can wake up and try and do something a little bit better - and there are so many pieces of the puzzle that being a little bit better could mean a technique improvement or being a better teammate - I love how that feels.

MANN: I heard a lot of other big ideas from athletes about the tension between ambition and contentment, the way patience and thought can shape even the most explosive sports that unfold in a handful of seconds. Also, a lot of Olympians really believe their sport can send important messages about our bodies, about our identities. Here's rugby player Ilona Maher.

ILONA MAHER: As women, a lot of times, our body has been this object to be looked at, something to be objectified, and, like, to get into sports, and a sport like rugby, gives your body a purpose, shows what it can do and what it's capable of. And it's not just something that is for others to judge.

MANN: Another thing athletes are talking about more openly - with humor, but also, often, with rawness - is mental health.

ANNA COCKRELL: What would I tell myself? Girl, get in that therapist's office immediately.

MANN: Hurdler Anna Cockrell has spoken publicly about training and competing while experiencing depression.

COCKRELL: I think I was a person that was kind of inconsistent. I would go to therapy for a second and then be like, I'm cured. And then - that's not how things work. And the progress, in my opinion, comes from continuing when you're not in crisis anymore.

MANN: OK, just a couple more big ideas I heard from these Olympians. One is gratitude. Competitors talk about how grateful they are for their support networks, their communities, but also for their opponents, for the people who sometimes beat them. Here's swimmer Katie Ledecky during a press conference with one of her chief rivals, Australian Ariarne Titmus.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

KATIE LEDECKY: And after the race, I just told Ariarne that - thank you for making me better.

MANN: A final thing you find with Olympians is how often they build their performance on faith, belief in God, deep spirituality. During her competition yesterday, German shot put thrower Yemisi Ogunleye slipped during her first throw.

YEMISI OGUNLEYE: So after falling, I went back to my seat, and I sang a song.

MANN: Turns out, when she's not competing in the Olympics, Ogunleye sings in a gospel choir.

OGUNLEYE: (Singing) I almost let go. I was quite at the edge of a breakthrough, but couldn't see it.

MANN: After singing one of her favorite hymns, Ogunleye went back out and won gold. Most athletes in Paris don't win medals, but a lot of them clearly take away something from these Olympics a lot more powerful.

Brian Mann, NPR News, Paris.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG YOUNG JOO'S "I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES/FAIREST LORD JESUS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.