The most unforgettably heartwarming stories to emerge out of Rio 2016

Anthony Ervin

Ervin poses with his Olympic medals on the Citi Terrace of the USA House at Colegio Sao Paulo. [Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images]

Few stories will not pale in comparison to Anthony Ervin’s who at 35 years became the oldest Olympic swimmer to win gold (in the men’s 50 meter freestyle). One can mention that in 2000, a then 19-year-old Ervin had won the same gold in the NCAA championships and become the youngest to set a world record in the category but it would only be a little detail in the story of his unique and humbling life’s story.

Ervin’s background makes him part-black, part-native American and part-Jewish. He is not just an amalgamation of some of the longest suffering ethnic communities but at a young age he developed Tourettes – a syndrome manifesting in tics that inhibit control over one’s movements.

Ervin retired at 22, lost himself in drugs, attempted suicide, sold his solitary Olympic medal to raise money for the survivors of the tsunami, got over the impediment of his slow start in the 50 m sprint and essayed a comeback befitting his two medals at Rio.

He says that he will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He will be 39 then.