Super-proud Olympic parents

With many of the athletes participating in the 2012 Olympics being youngsters, a trend has developed for media attention to focus on the moms and dads of these world’s top performers, showcasing the passion, support and pride they have in their kid’s achievements. The entire globe celebrated with the proudest dad ever, Bert Le Clos, father of gold medallist swimmer Chad, but there have been other delightful parenting moments, too.

“That’s my boy!”

South Africa’s other gold medallist swimmer, Cameron van der Burgh, was on the receiving end of a loving interview given by his mom, who insists that her son is a toughie: According to Sport24, Cameron suffered from a mild form of ADD as a child, and his parents steered him towards sport rather than put their son on Ritalin.

His talents were recognised even at the age of ten, and his training involved mom taking him to the airport every Tuesday so that he could train within SA.

Of Cameron’s victory, she says:

“I received literally hundreds of text messages of congratulations after Cameron won, but the message that means the most to me is the one that he sent me himself on the night of his win. He thanked me for being there for him, said he couldn’t have done it on his own, and ended it with, ‘I love you Mom.’ It just made me cry… a mom will do everything for her children, and the greatest gift is to be appreciated and just to be told, I love you.”

The hilariously awkward Raisman parents

Another parenting triumph from the 2012 Olympics has to be the video footage of American gymnast Aly Raisman’s parents squirming in their seats as they watch their daughter compete. The intensity of their involvement and the way their support literally invokes involuntary spasms and jerks from their bodies is awesome to watch.

With plenty of action left in the 2012 Olympics, who knows what other incredible parenting moments we’ll get to see. There's even an entire Tumblr called Parents of Olympians.

Let the fun and games continue!

Do you support your kids when they participate in sports?
  Parent24