What You Can Learn from Olympic Athletes

Watching these amazing Olympians battle these last few weeks pulls into focus Spartan values like dedication, perseverance, and the spirit to overcome any obstacle.

In fact, (and a bit surreal) OCR athletes will also be able to compete in the 2028 Olympics.

Read on.

You’re going to like this story about Martin and Valent…

These brothers are phenomenal rowers representing Croatia in Paris. But their journey to Olympic greatness didn’t start out as planned.

I first encountered the athletes through a Red Bull event in Europe. They were part of an eight-man crew team recruited by a friend for a unique challenge: carrying their boats on their shoulders while running through city streets and cobblestone roads.

This intense event led to injuries among their teammates, pushing the brothers to explore the two-man boat format for the first time.

What started as a necessity turned into a revelation.

Martin and Valent quickly discovered their unmatched speed and synergy in the two-man boat.

Their adaptability served them well.

Of course, dominating the world of running didn’t come without some elbow grease.

When the brothers joined us in the Abu Dhabi Spartan World Championship last year, I inquired about their success.

Their response was simple: an incredible coach and a grueling seven-plus years of seven-hour training days, seven days a week.

As if they don’t grind enough, Valent also plans to join us and compete in the Spartan’s Sprint & 100M World Championship in Hvar, Croatia this October.

Congrats to these guys as they defended the men’s title in two-boat rowing after fighting back in the final 50m to cross the line 0.45 seconds in front.

Kyle Dake, another Spartan athlete and a world-class wrestler who finished with another Bronze Medal in the 2024 Olympics also has an incredible success story.

An Olympic medalist, he is also the only wrestler in history to win NCAA championships in four different weight classes. His journey at Cornell University was marked by a drive to overcome any obstacle in his path.

My connection to wrestling, particularly at Cornell, has a special place in my heart. One of the most surreal moments in my life was seeing the Spartan Regional Olympic Training Center established on Cornell’s campus in 2020.

As someone who fought hard to get into Cornell, walking onto that campus and witnessing the fusion of Spartan and Olympic ideals was nothing short of a dream come true.

So, what’s next?

Look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

We can’t wait to see obstacle racing in the modern pentathlon. This milestone marks a significant step in bringing the spirit of Spartan to the global stage of the Olympics.

If you haven't yet, I urge you to watch the Sinkovic brothers’ gold medal race. Their performance is a masterclass in resilience.

Here’s to The Hard Way (The Gold Medal way),

Joe