We can learn from 3 Olympic champions who overcame hardships

Skip Bayless, Rachel Nichols and Keyshawn Johnson discuss the possibility of Team USA Basketball led by LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant potentially not securing the Gold in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Is it Gold or Bust for Team USA?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner. On July 26, tens of millions of people around the world will tune in to watch the opening ceremony and the games to follow in the coming weeks. Not to mention the more than 8.6 million attendees who have already purchased tickets. 

Since the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896, renowned athletes from around the world have demonstrated perseverance, courage and determination. This year, more than 10,500 athletes will compete in the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.  

Every four years as the games are held, we’ve triumphed together in victories, held our breaths during pivotal moments and shared moments of defeat. While we gear up to watch this year’s games, let’s take some time to remember a few renowned American Olympians who can continue to motivate and encourage us.  

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Here are three lessons from famous Olympians that can inspire us today. 

American Olympian Jesse Owens running in the 200-meter sprint, a new Olympic record. Berlin. August 4, 1936. (Photo by Austrian Archives/Imagno/Getty Images)

Jesse Owens faced impossible odds. He was the grandson of a slave, born to a sharecropper in Alabama in a time of segregation. However, Owens’ athletic abilities became apparent while he was young. 

Owens set several junior high school records at age 15. In high school, he set numerous world records, including tying the