Olympic athletes are some of the most dedicated people in the world, but there are some competitors who went to extreme lengths to achieve their dreams and make their countries proud.
By the 1996 Olympics, American Kerri Strug had been training for 16 years, having started gymnastics at the tender age of three.
到1996年奧運會時，美國選手Kerri Strug已經訓練了16年，她在3歲時就開始練習體操。
The US ladies team had gotten off to such a strong start in the Games that the press dubbed them The Magnificent Seven, but as the competition heated up it soon became clear that the Russians were a force to be reckoned with.
美國女隊在奧運會上開局如此強勁，以至於媒體稱她們為“豪勇七姣龍”，但隨着比賽的白熱化，很快就清楚地表明俄羅斯是一支不可忽視的力量。
Despite their best efforts, the US lead had evaporated by the time it came to their final gymnast Kerri Strug. Strug had sprained her ankle during her first vault, and when she realised that she was to be called upon again, she earnestly asked her coach, “Do we need this?”
儘管他們盡了最大努力，但當他們的最後一名體操運動員Kerri Strug出場時，美國隊的領先優勢已經消失了。 Strug在第一次跳馬比賽時扭傷了腳踝。當她意識到自己又要上場時，她誠懇地問教練:“我們需要這個嗎？”
The US hope for the gold relied solely on Kerri’s final vault, and so she limped towards the runway for her second attempt. Her performance was incredible, and she even managed a near perfect dismount, landing on both feet. It was the first time since 1948 that the Russians hadn’t taken home the team gold.
美國的奪金希望完全依賴於Kerri 的最後一跳，所以她一瘸一拐地走向跑道進行第二次試跳。她的表現令人難以置信，她甚至做到了近乎完美的下馬，雙腳着地。這是自1948年以來，俄羅斯人第一次沒有把團體金牌帶回家。
It instantly became clear that Kerri was badly hurt. So much so that she collapsed onto her knees and needed assistance just to leave the platform. The team’s coach, Bela Karolyi, carried Kerri onto the medals podium and after the ceremony, she was hospitalised for a third-degree lateral sprain and tendon damage. “People think these girls are fragile dolls. They’re not. They’re courageous,” Karolyi told the gathered press.
很明顯Kerri受了重傷。她倒在地上，需要人攙扶才能離開跳台。教練貝拉·卡羅利(Bela Karolyi)將Kerri抱上領獎台，儀式結束後，她因三度側向扭傷和肌腱損傷住院。“人們認為這些女孩是脆弱的娃娃。他們不是。他們很勇敢，”卡羅利告訴記者說。
Stug became a national hero, meeting with President Bill Clinton, appearing on talk shows across the US and making the cover of Sports Illustrated. Speaking to the media after the win, she said, “This is the Olympics. This is what you dream about from when you’re 5 years old. I wasn’t going to stop.”
Kerri Strug成了民族英雄，受到克林頓總統的接見，出現在美國各地的脫口秀節目中，並成為《體育畫報》的封面人物。獲勝後，她對媒體說: “這是奧運會。這是你5歲時的夢想。我不會停下來的。”
