After running for almost two hours in his third Olympic race, Vanderlei de Lima was attacked by a protestor and lost his lead in the race 4 miles from the finish line in Athens in 2004.
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It was an unexpected turn of events, but Vanderlei won the Bronze medal and uses this experience as an example of how triumph often results from fighting, not winning.
He is very much a hero, not only in the eyes of One Young World, but on the global stage as he lit the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro this past week.
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We are honoured to call him a Counsellor of One Young World. His Special Session at the One Young World Summit in Pittsburgh in 2012 inspired a room of young leaders and global luminaries alike. He spoke about how obstacles result in lessons learned and are often transformational. He says that, "In my defeat, I have learned more from my failures than I have from my victories."
Watch the full session here:
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