The Will to Win

During a women's 1500m heat at the Olympics, Sifan Hassan experienced a runner's worst nightmare: she tripped and fell to the ground.

August 10, 2021

Olympian Sifan Hassan, of the Netherlands, possesses a remarkable will to compete.

During a women's 1500m heat, she experienced a runner's worst nightmare: she tripped and fell, losing valuable time while dropping well behind her competition.

But, without hesitation, Hassan got back on her feet and began sprinting as fast as she could, not allowing her mishap to affect her focus or concentration. She passed 11 runners along the way, relying on her preparation, training and conditioning to surge her comeback and ultimately win the race.

This video has likely been shown to countless teams and organizations as a demonstration of never quitting, of never surrendering regardless of the obstacles. But it’s much more than a "don't ever quit" advertisement.

Hassan’s actions are an example of the words of former Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Fame Coach Vince Lombardi. In his “Will to Win” speech, Lombardi said:

“The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win. Most people have the will to win. Most people enjoy winning and all that comes with it. The people willing to put in the hard work over the time required to prepare to win are far more rare.”

Hassan had the will to win. Even if she hadn’t been victorious, her ability to get up off the track to stage her comeback demonstrated the rare quality Lombardi discussed.

Lombardi continued in the speech to hit all the key traits we witnessed from Hassan.

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it’s an all-time thing,” he said. “You don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all of the time.”

Hassan could have easily gotten off the ground and run the race to prove she wasn’t a quitter, which is a great trait. But that’s not what got her off the track — it was the will to win, the pursuit of doing things right all the time.

We can help those we lead by showing them Hassan’s amazing display of mental fortitude. We can also gain a great deal by explaining in detail the difference between not quitting and the will to win.

That’s the ultimate lesson here.