Everyone agreed that it was about determination, about resolve. In the end it came down to a single-minded concentration on the goal. Or the gold, if you were prone to alliteration. Focus on the goal (or the gold) and nothing else; block out the heat, the pain, the noise of the crowd, and you could win it.<br />
Anyone could win it. Underdogs pulled victory out of the fire every year. The favorites dropped out in mere seconds, all their training and practice turned to ash in the face of real challenge