Valerie Vili has just won the gold medal in the shotput at the Beijing Olympics. She’s also won gold medals at the world championships in Valencia this year and in Osaka last year. But there are some other reasons apart from her great sporting achievements that make her a good role model.
The first is her height. She is 1.96m (6ft 4in) tall and, when it was first suggested to her as a teenager that she could be good at the shotput, she was initially reluctant because she was self-conscious about her height. She gave it a go anyway, and soon achieved success. I think there’s a lesson there about body image and how it inhibits women.
The second is what I heard her say on the radio tonight. She said she focussed on doing the job she was there to do, and didn’t allow all the other activity in the stadium to distract her. She achieved a personal best as well as a gold medal. And the lesson there is, focus on your dream and you may well achieve it.
