My husband and I are keen to sell our television on Facebook Marketplace soon, but certainly not before the Paris 2024 Olympics because I am so excited to watch them! 10,500 athletes representing 206 countries will compete across 32 sports, with each showcasing the best and brightest athletes. I will certainly be cheering for Team Australia, while my husband will be cheering for his native Team Great Britain, so hopefully there’ll be some Australia verse Great Britain moments to entertain our household. There are some events I am SO excited to watch. Here are some of the events I’m most excited for:

Australia in the swimming events: Team Australia has always had a really strong swimming team. From the Tokyo Olympics, I’d say my favourite moment was watching Ariarne Titmus beat Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle by less than a second. Her coach went ballistic with excitement, but honestly, I cannot blame him! It was thrilling to watch. I’m looking forward to more moments like this.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400 metre hurdles: I recently finished reading Sydney’s amazing book, Far Beyond Gold, and yes I know she’s from the USA but oh my goodness I will be cheering loud for her! She broke the world record again at the US Olympic trials, finishing the race well ahead of everyone else. This girl is racing against the clock! Her faith in Jesus and representing Him is so inspiring. Go Sydney!

The men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, 400m and relay races: These races are electric! It must be phenomenal being in the stadium while these races are being undertaken. I really hope no one false starts, my heart breaks for athletes when this happens – all that hard work for years to be over so quickly. So, hopefully all the athletes start perfectly and we can all cheer loud and be amazed at their athleticism.

Moments of great sportsmanship: There’s something about the Olympics that makes me feel so emotional, watching people’s hard work pay off, seeing how much it all means to them. Then there’s also moments of just such amazing sportsmanship shown between athletes from different countries, fighting for the gold medal, when they realise that there’s a lot more to winning than medals. It’s about showing compassion and kindness to those around them, being someone of integrity and humility no matter how many medals you have. These moments are so sweet because they’re not scripted, and they are reminders of the good in this world.

There’s so many more events I’m also looking forward to…the gymnastics, tennis, triathlons, long jump, high jump, volleyball, surfing and skateboarding, so many. What events are you looking forward to?

1 Corinthians 9:25 – Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Love, Gracie.