The Olympic Games are known to feature the greatest athletes in the world, and this summer many of those athletes whose God-given talents are on display arrive in Tokyo formed in some way by their Catholic faith or education. The U.S. gymnastics team features two Catholic champions who have been open about their Catholic faith. Black Catholic Simone Biles returns to the Olympics as a champion with “the Greatest of All Time” status. Biles pushed herself to even greater heights of excellence, demonstrating in May her mastery of the extremely difficult and dangerous Yurchenko double pike vault, which many suspect she may deploy at the Summer Games in Tokyo. Biles’ fellow Catholic and gymnast Grace McCallum, who travels with a rosary and a cross from her grandmother, told Relevant Radio’s Morning Air, “My Catholic faith has been such a huge part of my journey and keeps me grounded in who I am.” McCallum said she prays before meets and practices, remembering her parents’ advice to “compete for an audience of one,” keeping Jesus Christ front and center. She also prays the Prayer to St. Michael right before hitting the mat, “to give me that last little bit of strength before I go up.”
Catholics Reach Olympic Heights: Meet Olympians Who Carry the Torch of Faith| National Catholic Register
Catholics Reach Olympic Heights: Meet Olympians Who Carry the Torch of Faith| National Catholic Register
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