“A lot of things were really hard to give up, but you do it anyways. You do it, because deep down you know that is it what it takes to get better.”
– Claire Donahue, Olympic Gold Medalist
Claire Donahue won a gold medal for swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay at 2012 Summer Olympics.
Sacrifices Before Success
Among all the things that contributed to her success, she puts personal sacrifices at the top. Claire says, “In my head, there is one thing that stands out from the rest—the sacrifices. The more you do it the easier it gets, but it took years for it to become natural.”
It’s not easy for a young girl in middle school to miss birthday parties and all the fun her friends are having. Claire says, “Trust me when you’re 12-years old, that’s the last thing you want to do.” Giving up favorite foods and family time was tough as well. Finally, Claire had to quit all other sports and concentrate only on swimming.
Losing out on the fun, frolic, and food was only one part—in fact, it was the easier part. The tougher part was the everyday practice. It meant getting up at 4:30am, following a strict daily schedule, doing insane hours, and somehow managing school in between. Claire says, “My schedule went from swim practice, school, track practice, and then off to swim practice again. By the time I got home, I had less than two hours to eat dinner and do homework.”
She adds, “I’m not going to lie, I definitely fell asleep in a few classes. And not to mention walking into school every day with wet hair in a bun, not the best look.”
Claire is a firm believer in striving hard to achieve success. She says, “An athlete makes sacrifices every single day to reach the highest level. You work countless hours doing the same things day-in, day-out to master a technique. No matter how many times you fail, you have to get back up.
Reaping Rich Rewards
Breaking all sorts of records through her school and college years, Claire was unstoppable.
In the 2011 Pan American Games, Claire won two gold medals. In the same year at National Championship, she finished second in the 100-meter butterfly. Her biggest moment of glory came at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She earned a gold medal for swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay.
Looking back, Claire feels all those sacrifices were 100% worth it. She says, “Giving up all those things taught me a lot. I had to learn time management and make tough decisions. I learned the value of hard work.”
Now that she’s done swimming, she finds this knowledge useful not only for her own career but also impart it to athletes she coaches and mentors.
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