Maya Wasowicz was all alone when the last flicker of her Olympic dream died.
The world’s best karate fighters were throwing punches in Paris to determine who would go to the Olympics. Wasowicz and her supporters all felt that she should have been there, too. Instead, she sat on a bed in her grandmother’s apartment in Opole, Poland, streaming the event live on her phone — alone, in the dark.
“I was definitely grieving it,” Wasowicz said, days later. “My family and friends refused to watch. But I had to see it.”
Over the next few weeks, fans of the Olympics will ingest a tidal wave of heartwarming tales illuminating the realized dreams of scores of dedicated and exceptional athletes.