Why on earth did he do that?

This is based on a true story:


He toiled by day, he toiled by night
He rowed and rowed with all his might,
And as he rowed, he dreamt in mirth,
To become the fastest rower on earth.


Can I do it? He often thought.
And then his mind was filled with gloom;
“Shut up!” He spurned this spurious thought,
And went back to work with his broom.


“You fool”, they said, “you simpleton!
The Olympic gold is not won,
By people like you and me”,
As he rowed past them with glee.


And when the trials drew so – so near,
His heart was numb and filled with fear.
He failed, he stumbled, he came last
Way behind the winner’s mast.

He tried again, again and again.
(They said that he tried in vain!)
Until one day, this man from nix,
He made it to the Olympics!


The race began, he rowed unafraid,
Body, heart, soul in unison swayed.
And as he led the scowling pack
He turned around and looked aback.

An opponent’s boat had turned about,
He could see faces popping out,
Of the water. As all other rowers over took,
He jumped into the slashing brook.

The waves hit him on the face,
He knew he had lost the race.
But heart and nerve and sinew he risked,
As a panting comrade he frisked.

When all was over, all was done,
When the Gold had gone to the chosen one,
A special award was announced,
And he the recipient pronounced.

For victory and loss are common things
But there are even greater kings.
By choosing not to row, but dive
He’d kept the spirit of the Olympics alive.