Happiness is not dependent on personal victory.
Two-time Olympic gold-medal winner Jamie Anderson fell short of making history at her third Winter Olympics but displayed great sportsmanship in the moments following her exit from the women’s slopestyle final on Sunday in Beijing.
The 33-year-old American snowboarder took the time to congratulate her fellow competitors – something that isn’t always easy to do after a crushing defeat.
“I decided I don’t want my happiness to depend on a result or a medal. I want to be happy regardless, and I want to genuinely be proud of the girls who are putting it down,” Anderson said. “Sometimes my friends put it down and I can’t, but we’re all in this together.”
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While happy for her competitors Anderson said she did take time to reflect after the competition, and expressed that the loss did cause her to recollect herself after feeling the emotions of falling short of her Olympic goals.
“I had a little bit of a mental breakdown,” Anderson admitted as she spoke to NBC following the slopestyle event. “At the end of the day, I’m only human. I do my best. I try my hardest all the time, but I’m not a robot.”
At the end of the day, Anderson said she appreciates every part of competing – winning and losing. She supports her teammates and commends her competitors.
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“It gave me humility to not quote on quote ‘fail’ but kind of,” said Anderson. “I want to keep my head high. I want it to be a win no matter what.”
