Olympic Medalists: "If I Could Do It, You Can Too

Laura Stacey couldn't even skate when she first stepped onto the ice, but the three-time Olympic hockey medalist refused to let that stop her from chasing her dreams.

On Olympic Day 2026, Stacey joined fellow Canadian Olympians to encourage young people facing the biggest barrier to sports participation: self-doubt. The International Olympic Committee's "You Can Do This!" campaign aims to empower youth to take their first steps into sports and physical activity.

Stacey remembers hearing she wasn't good enough throughout her journey. "I think I've been told plenty of times that I'm not good enough, too tall, too lanky, too this, too that," she said. "At the end of the day, you have to believe in yourself and just go for it."

For Stacey, the secret wasn't natural talent. It was the teammates and community that kept her coming back. "I couldn't skate at the beginning. I was told I was not good enough, but I loved it," she recalled.

Six-time Olympic medalist Charles Hamelin echoed her message about patience and persistence. "When I was young, I wasn't good at skating," the short track speed skating champion said. "It took me 10 years to become one of the best in Quebec."

His advice to young athletes is simple: "The most important thing, without a doubt, is having the courage to try."

Seyi Smith took trying to a whole new level. After competing in track and field at the 2012 London Olympics, he switched to bobsleigh five years later and made the 2018 Winter Olympics. His unique journey across summer and winter sports taught him what really matters.

"100 per cent, trying a sport is more important than being great at a sport," Smith said. "Sport is not about the medals and the winning, it's about the journey and what you get to become along the way."

Why This Inspires

These elite athletes could have focused on their natural gifts or Olympic glory. Instead, they chose to share their struggles and failures. Their honesty transforms the Olympic podium from an impossible dream into a destination reached through small, courageous steps.

Smith credits sports for everything in his life, from his career to his family. The discipline, resilience, and self-confidence these athletes learned on the ice, track, and field shaped who they became off of it.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply show up and try.