There is a popular phrase in English, ‘extra mile’. It means giving something more than what it actually requires or what we can generally give. Only those who have placed mind over body, connect them to this ‘extra mile’. It has come that only such people win Olympics medals. A very powerfully vibrating mind is necessary for covering this ‘extra mile’. Hear the story of Matthias Steiner, the German weightlifter. It was just before the 2008 Beijing Olympics that his wife passed away. It was a heavy shock for him. He actually wanted her to be with him in Beijing. All that he could take along was the smiling face of Susann Steiner in his pocket. She was with him every time he was practising. He decided to honour her presence with an ‘extra mile’. At just 25, he won the Gold in 105 kg + category. While at the games he had only Susann in front of him.
There are stunning stories of people who have won Olympic medals and those with a lot of obstructions in life. Someone is willing to go the extra mile means that they are willing to make a special effort to achieve something or make something happen. A Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army, Neeraj Chopra VSM is one among them. Chopra is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics. The funny thing is that most of the media added to the news a picture of Chopra abed in hospital. He could not attend the World Championship held in Doha, in 2019. At that time, he was in hospital after a surgery on his right shoulder. But, in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chopra won Gold. An extra mile man who always runs mind over body never fails!
