The beautiful and exclusive Hurlingham Club in London was swapped for a “virtual” Awards Presentation streamed exclusively on YouTube in honour of the Finalists and Winners of The 24th FAB Awards! FAB extended an open invitation to the entire Marketing Communications Industry globally to view the show.

“During judging of this years FAB Advertising & Innovation categories, we got to ponder and debate an impressive collection of entries, across many different channels. Amongst those were some standout ideas that really grabbed the attention of the judges, for their originality and great creative thinking, eventually becoming the jury’s unanimous choices for this year’s FAB Award winners”. – Garry Munns, Executive Creative Director and Chair of The Advertising & Innovations Jury Panel.

“The FAB entries this year were highly creative and beautifully executed. We the Jury had a FABulous time debating the finer points of the shortlisted entries with the diverse winners thoroughly deserving their awards.” – Emily Fox, Creative Director, Lewis Moberly and Chair of The Branding & Packaging Design Jury Panel

Successful design, creative and effective work was showcased to the viewers at the show, and winning projects were announced – be it a Grand Prix (FABulous), a Gold (FAB) or a Silver Award.

The recipients of the best in show ( FABulous Award ) at The 24th FAB Awards, were as follows:

FABulous Award across all Design categories:

ZhiHou for YangYangLa by Shenzhen Lingyun Creative Packaging Design China

Greene King by Design Bridge

FABulous Award across all Advertising & Innovation categories:

4am Adzzz for Sheba by AMV BBDO, London

FABulous Award across all Advertising & Innovation categories:

Creativity Is Essential for Bombay Sapphire by AMV BBDO, London

AMV BBDO London wins Agency of The Year Award Sponsored by YouTube

AMV BBDO London took home The Agency of The Year Award sponsored by YouTube. BBDO New York were the winners in 2021 and have now handed the crown back to AMV who have won it on six previous occasions. The Omnicom Agency won the only two FABulous Awards ( Best In Show ) from the Advertising & Innovations Categories and a number of FAB Gold’s and Silvers and finished comfortable at the Top of the Points Table.

MARS, Incorporated Win YouTube Sponsored FAB Brand/Marketer of the Year Award

Much of MARS‘ success came from their Pet Food, Snickers and Extra Gum Projects by AMV BBDO London, BBDO New York and Energy BBDO Chicago and won them multiple FAB Gold Awards and a FABulous ( Best in Show ) which won them The YouTube FAB Brand/Marketer of the Year honour. 

The food giant have now won the accolade for the fourth time.

Kerry Cavanaugh, Head Of Marketing at MARS Wrigley UK on receiving the Award:

“We are thrilled that FAB has chosen Mars as Marketer of the Year for 2022.  It is an honour to receive this recognition for the fourth time and we are proud to have several Finalists this year.  All of this would not be possible without the incredible Agency partners we work, including those behind this year’s Finalists – AMV BBDO, BBDO New York and Energy BBDO.   Thank you FAB for this recognition.”

Denomination and Design Bridge JOINTLY Win FAB Design Agency of the Year Award

Branding & Design experts Design Bridge and Denomination, were JOINTLY named the FAB Design Agencies of the Year, taking home Silvers, FAB Gold Awards and a FABulous ( Best in Show ) at The Awards.

FAB GOLD Winners were:

Packaging Design:

Satine Organic Pure Milk by Inner Mongolia Yili Group China

Pott’s Sauces In A Can by This Way Up, London

Assembly Gin Brand Creation by Midday

ZhiHou by ShenZhen Lingyun Creative China

Wild Folk by Denomination

Greene King by Design Bridge

Brand Identity:

From Plants With Love by Everland, Copenhagen

Maker’s Mark Visual Identity System by Turner Duckworth: London, San Francisco and New York

Brand Redesign:

Crif Dogs for Crif Dogs/PDT by Design Bridge

Interior Design & Retail Environment

Pop Golf by Zachary Pulman Design Studio

Meraki Riyadh by CADA Design, London

Design Effectiveness

Tread Softly Range by Denomination

Advertising & Innovation FAB GOLDS

Creativity Is Essential by AMV BBDO, London for Bombay Sapphire (Ambient / Experiential)

Creativity Is Essential by AMV BBDO, London for Bombay Sapphire (Guerrilla Marketing/ Best Use of Media)

Welcome Back for Guinness by AMV BBDO, London ( TV & Cinema Commercials )

4am Adzzz by AMV BBDO, London ( Direct Marketing / Mobile Marketing )

Foodweiser for Budweiser by Mullen Lowe Delta, Ecuador ( Direct Marketing/ Best Use Of Media )

Ecolate by LIFULL ( Ethical & Sustainable)

The 3D Printed Meatballs by INGO Stockholm for IKEA ( Direct Marketing/ Best Use Of Technology )

Put More Cat in your Cat by BBDO New York ( Online Advertising )

Fleets by BBDO New York for Snickers ( Best Use Of Media )

For When It’s Time: Extra Gum’s Pandemic Comeback by Energy BBDO Chicago ( Ad. Effectiveness )

The FAB Awards Trophies are made out of recycled packaging materials.

A full list of the Winners of The 24th FAB Awards can be seen here.

Source: The FAB Awards

Using blockchain-based Non-Fungible Token (NFT) technology, which has become popular in the art market in recent months, WWF is offering the artworks of ten international artists for free sale, including Bosslogic, Freehand Profit, Eric Peters, Lea Fricke Romulo Kuranyi, and Etienne Kiefer. They were all inspired by endangered species: each of the crypto-art works represents an animal threatened with extinction. The number of works for sale is accordingly limited to the number of recorded specimens of the species still living in the wild. The works are unique, limited-edition virtual collectors’ items for which a digital, non-exchangeable certificate of ownership is purchased via an NFT. The proceeds from the sale benefit WWFprojects to protect endangered species. For the so-called sourcing of the cryptos, a special token within the blockchain “Polygon” is also used, which has a drastically lower energy consumption – especially compared to other tokens – and is thus sustainably more environmentally friendly.

Within the framework of the joint project, the agencies of Publicis Groupe Germany worked together entirely in the spirit of the Power of One idea. Saatchi & Saatchi stands for the creative idea behind the project and took over the development of the communication for various channels. Digitas Pixelpark developed the campaign website, which, in addition to all information about the campaign, above all allows the direct purchase of the NFTs directly on the campaign page without having to switch to the usual platforms. This means that not only crypto experts but also crypto novices can buy the WWF NFTs and make their contribution to species conservation. MetaDesign developed a corporate design, especially for this special project. The experts at MSL are responsible for strategic campaign messaging as well as PR, media relations and networking with influencers and opinion leaders.

Dennis May, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Groupe Germany: “This project is exciting on so many levels: the core idea, protecting endangered animals, is highly compelling. The artworks works from young talents to renowned digital artists are simply fantastic in their creativity and diversity. And the collaboration in a large team of different agencies and external partners is absolutely great. So it’s not just an idea that has been created, but a shared spirit for a common goal.”

“As WWF, we have a supporting role in social education. We want to show how close we are to the irreversible extinction of various species on this planet,” Eberhard Brandes, CEO of WWF Germany, describes the aim of the campaign. “The NFA campaign will help to support our worldwide projects for these endangered animals and to preserve them in their natural habitat.”

The official sale of “NFAs: Non-fungible Animals” starts on 2 November at 2 pm. 

A preview of the artworks for sale and further information are available at wwf.de/nfa.

Art Work and participating artists:

1st animal: Vaquita | Artist: Lea Fricke 

As an artist with a passion for marine biology, Lea has a very close relationship with nature and its inhabitants. The motifs in the artwork of this young talent from North Rhine-Westphalia also always stem from the sea. With her passion for nature combined with her outstanding talent, Fricke creates impressive and unique works of art.

2nd animal: Amur Tiger | Artist: Freehand Profit  

Gary Lockwood, better known as Freehand Profit, is a Los Angeles-based artist who has been exploring issues of identity and materialism since 2010 by creating over 200 unique masks. These masks, often gas masks and usually made from iconic trainers, reflect a balance between the celebratory aspects of our humanity and culture, and an awareness that we are in a warring world plagued by injustice, oppression, and environmental degradation. 

3rd animal: Mountain gorilla | Artist: Eric Peters

Peters is not only highly traded on the German art market but also on the US art market, among others. His work is characterised by great intensity and depth. Regarding the WWF campaign, he is already familiar with his subject: he painted ape backs for 2 years and published them in the volume, “Is there a future for the gorilla without man? (1994).

4th animal: Bushman Rabbit | Artist: Rocket & Wink  

Rocket & Wink make design, art & awesome stuff. Since 2011. And still don’t know how to lose the fun in the process. Because they just love to tease ideas out of things, build packages around things and think through design as a thing. Anyone who wants to snatch a piece of their soul is welcome to do so in their online shop. If you want to work with them, slip a confidential email under the door. On the other hand, if you just want to see their work, just open your eyes: they are in this world.

5th animal: Cross River Gorilla | Artist: Andres Ribon 

The 24-year-old Ribon is one of the biggest rising talents on the Colombian art scene. With his committed and inquisitive attitude, he is a perfect match for the WWF campaign. For him, this is the first gorilla he has depicted with his art. 

6th animal: Giant Panda | Artist: Romulo Kuranyi

For the artist, who comes from Brazil, the focus is always on telling emotions. His art is characterised by a pop art of heads and emotions and the recurring smiley motif and is reminiscent of the young Keith Haring. He is always eager to experiment and recently painted a Bugatti completely with his motifs.

7th animal: Baltic porpoise | Artist: Anna Rupprecht 

Anna Rupprecht comes from Germany and is currently making a big name for herself in the field of illustration – one of the currently fast-growing metiers in art. The artist is not only extremely talented but also very fond of animals.

8th animal: Persian Leopard | Artist: Bosslogic

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Kode Abdo aka BossLogic is one of THE players in the “NFT Game”. After humble beginnings creating “fan art” and posting on social media, he is now regularly commissioned by Marvel and DC to create artwork for their films. His NFTs regularly fetch 4, 5, and 6 figures. He loves animals and is proud to be part of this project.

9th animal: Giant Ibis | Artist: Vinzent Britz

Vinzent Britz is a Berlin-based art director and digital artist who focuses on computer-generated still and moving images. He combines abstract and photorealistic elements to create visual compositions in 2D and 3D.

10th animal: Saola | Artist: Etienne Kiefer 

Etienne is a digital artist and creative, always on the lookout for the latest technologies. With his art, he wants to depict the beauty of nature and technology in the future. 3D programs and computer games have always fascinated him. NFTs are the technology that ushers in a new era of owning digital art and giving it meaning. His motto: Let’s use it for something good and help endangered species.

Source: Publicis Groupe Germany

The beautiful and exclusive Hurlingham Club in London was swapped for a “virtual” Awards Presentation streamed exclusively on YouTube in honour of the Finalists and Winners of The 23rd FAB Awards! FAB extended an open invitation to the entire Marketing Communications Industry globally to view the show.

Successful design, creative and effective work was showcased to the viewers at the show, and winning projects were announced – be it a Grand Prix (FABulous), a Gold (FAB) or a Silver Award.

The recipients of the best in show ( FABulous Award ) at The 23rd FAB Awards, were as follows:

FABulous Award across all Design categories:‘

Your Way, Way Better for Burger King by Jones Knowles Ritchie

Small Giants-Little Critters, Big Mission for Small Giants by Midday, London

FABulous Award across all Advertising & Innovation categories:

Burger King & Friends by Buzzman, Paris

FABulous Award across all Interior Design & Retail Environment categories:

Klosterhaus, Bristol by DesignLSM

BBDO New York wins Agency of The Year Award Sponsored by YouTube

BBDO New York took home The Agency of The Year Award sponsored by YouTube. BBDO New York had previously won the crown for three consecutive years only to hand it to INGO Stockholm last year. The Omnicom Agency won a number of FAB Gold’s and Silvers and finished comfortable at the Top of the Points Table.

Burger King Win YouTube Sponsored FAB Brand/Marketer of the Year Award

Much of Burger Kings‘ success came from their Brand New Identity and Redesign by Jones Knowles Ritchie and their Burger King & Friends Project by Buzzman, Paris. Both Projects won multiple FAB Gold Awards and 2 x FABulous ( Best in Show ) which won them The YouTube FAB Brand/Marketer of the Year honour. 

The food giant have now won the accolade for the second year in a row.

Paloma Azulay, Global Brand Chief At Burger King on receiving the Award:

Jones Knowles Ritchie Bag FAB Design Agency of the Year Award

Branding & Design experts Jones Knowles Ritchie, were named the FAB Design Agency of the Year, taking home a Silver, Two FAB Gold Awards and a FABulous ( Best in Show ) at The Awards.

FAB GOLD Winners were:

Packaging Design:

Charbonnel et Walker Seasonal Packaging by Together Design, London

Small Giants-Little Critters, Big Mission by Midday, London

Marmite-Dynamite Limited Edition by This Way Up, London

T House Time by Intertype, St.Albans

SoGood Saké by Pearlfisher, New York

Brand Identity:

Your Way, Way Better by Jones Knowles Ritchie for Burger King

Brand Redesign:

Your Way, Way Better by Jones Knowles Ritchie for Burger King

More Real by BrandOpus for Miller Genuine Draft

Interior Design & Retail Environment

Klosterhaus, Bristol by DesignLSM, Brighton

Baskin Robbins Madang by BR Korea

Design Effectiveness

Socially Distanced Dining by Absolute Cornwall

A Ridiculously Good Business by Family (and friends) for CafeDirect

Horlicks–take a moment and enjoy by Brandon, UK

Advertising & Innovation FAB GOLDS

Ramadan Iftar Sand Clock for McDonald’s by Leo Burnett KSA ( Posters & OOH )

Burger King & Friends ( Direct Marketing & Integrated )

Dunkin’ x Charli for Dunkin by BBDO New York ( Sales Promotion & Social Media / Business )

Dogs on Zoom for Pedigree by BBDO New York ( Branded Content & Entertainment )

Breathable Bacon for Black Label Bacon by BBDO Minneapolis ( Branded Utility & Virals )

Weetabix n Beanz by Weetabix Food Company ( Virals )

Feeding Imagination for Goldfish Crackers by Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada ( Integrated )

The FAB Awards also revealed the full suite of their New brand Identity by leading Design Consultancy William Murray Hamm and also revealed their brand new Awards Trophies made out of recycled materials.

A full list of the Winners of The 23rd FAB Awards can be seen here.

Source: The FAB Awards

The online course has been created to give people the tools and strategies to create persuasive copy that moves people to action.

Adorjan believes lack of confidence is holding many women back, but by boosting their knowledge and learning how best to sell themselves, more women will be encouraged to write – either for their own ventures or others’.

With every 10 places sold, a place is being donated to a female business owner or student who might otherwise struggle to pay the full course fee.

Part of Adorjan’s ‘Pay It Forward’ drive to help more women use their voices more powerfully in the world. 

Find the course at: charwrites-courses.thinkific.com 

Source: Charlotte Adorjan

Melting Pot is a series conceived and produced by Payal Nayar in an attempt to share some human stories from all over the world through conversations with inspiring and interesting people from diverse cultures who are passionately and selflessly pursuing their life mission in different ways.

The guests include people who believe in nurturing the next generation to others who dedicate their lives towards helping families break out of a poverty trap, to empowering women in business & others who are going to great lengths in preserving their cultural and food heritage.

Payal has been an experienced voice artist since 2005. Previously, she was a marketing professional in the airline industry for over 15 years. As a traveler and explorer, Payal understands her strength is in her voice and ability to engage with people. The natural progression from that led up to her journeying and exploring the podcast platform to bring it all together in the series Melting Pot.

“I always believed in absorbing learning from and contributing in a small way to the culture by staying engaged with the communities I have become a part of,” Payal said. 

A Singapore resident, who has also lived in different countries like the United Kingdom, India and Spain, Payal considers herself a global citizen and a traveler at heart having spent most of her life overseas.

The Melting Pot podcast features guests ranging from the hospitality and f&b industries to artists from the multi-disciplinary arts and non-profit organisations. 

“Through my podcast journey, I am in awe of most of my guests,” says Payal. “I feel humbled at how they have opened up their hearts and shared their life stories with me, which I am then able to bring to listeners from all over the world to enjoy, listen, appreciate, absorb and take away from.

Omar Masroor, Founder – Bistro Aracosia, Washington BC “In the culture of Afghanistan in my opinion, the Afghan is a warrior poet” says Omar

“The impact was so massive because it is common sense, sick child plus food equals treatment” Purnota Dutta Bahl, Founder – Cuddles Foundation India

Sneak Peek At Some Upcoming Episodes

Julia Atzesberger, Founder LE PURE Revolutionising Organic Skincare ” Usually when we have a skin alteration it is never only something to treat from the outside, there is always a more inner reason and having an integrative approach to this I think is very important” says Julia

Tri Phan, Resident chef Spiced Saigon and Runner-up of MasterChef Vietnam (season 1) ” I consider myself a flavor driven chef, I get inspired by a combination of flavors and ingredients” says Tri

The Melting Pot podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, IHeart radio and other available podcasting platforms.

Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts  IHeart Radio  Tunein  

Source: Melting Pot

Today’s society faces superabundance of visual stimuli of all sorts. Being overflown with colors and pictures, people can’t keep track of their emotions anymore. 

Vladimir Vaskevich – an entrepreneur and couch – has created a unique project called “Trip in the dark”. He conducts excursions around the city, and they are unusual in both content and format, as Vladimir is a visually impaired guide. 

The website we created for the project lets us dive into the world woven from sounds, touches, tastes and trust. Through an exquisite merging of art and technology, our past experience zeroes out and new one starts to form. 

A user encounters new ways of interaction with the Internet environment: through voice commands, audio marks and 3D orientation*. The more we explore the website, the brighter is the darkness around us. Street noise, humming, water drops, car horn are the new guide. 

The city sounds can be added to the cart thus compiling your individual route for the future trip. The reviews section tells about the enlightenment that the Trip gave to its guests. 

*The list of technologies used for the website development includes Cinema 4d, canvas, sound mapping, Google Voice-To-Speech service API, THREE.js, vue.js, svg-animation, Google maps API, browsers resources (motion orientation and voice recording).

Participants of the project: 

Voskhod, agency of creative solutions 

Creative director: Andrey Gubaydullin 

Creative digital director: Dmitry Maslakov 

Digital art director: Anna Maslyakova 

Tech lead: Vasily Tsykin

Digital designer: Liliya Zagidullina

Music: Slava R

Sound design and mastering: Mikhail Kokorin, Anna Maslyakova 

Photographer & cameraman: Alexey Udartsev 

Vladimir Vaskevich, a visually impaired guide and coach, author of “Trip in the dark” 

The exhibition showcased returning champions and first time victors from around the globe, including the “Angel with Iron Wings” and the fastest man alive.

With 100 photographs, featuring athletes from all over the world, the exhibition showed that gold is not the measure of all things. The effort, the dedication and the companionship are…

Every athlete has a story to tell. And they are all glorious.

The Olympics are arguably the biggest, most celebrated sporting event, offering athletes a chance to triumph with the entire world as their audience. They are a celebration of effort, diligent training, passion, will and the determination to not let anything hold you back.

“The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well,” is what Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic games, envisioned for the sport.

Even in a world which promotes ‘winning at all costs’ there were moments in these games that truly reflect the ideals Baron Coubertin envisioned. Moments which show emotion and dedication. They show a world without discrimination. A world where ‘gold’ is not the measure of all things. The effort, the struggle and the companionship are.

These golden, glorious moments of the Olympics express something much more profound than results. They touch us deeply and have less to do with who won or who lost. They show the bonds that form even amongst the fiercest competitors, going beyond and ethnic, religious and cultural boundaries. Beyond politics. Beyond borders. They show the generosity of spirit and the glory of what it means to be human and to be good to the core.

These moments show people who are driven by their passion and the love of sport. Who try to exceed their own limits. Who try their best and may or may not win the gold but are all victors in their own right. They made it to the Olympics.

Consider Usain Bolt. He is the fastest man alive and regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. Eight-time Olympic champion, eleven-time world champion. He holds the world and Olympic record for the 100m and 200m sprint.

But beyond that, he is someone who loves his fans. After his 100m race, Bolt ran his victory lap cheered on by the crowds. As he was about to leave the stadium, the big group of Jamaican fans standing just behind me, started calling out his name, shouting and trying to get his attention. He heard them, even amongst the roar of the rest of the stadium and ran over. He came to a halt just in front of me and took off his shoes.

There was a moment of pause where no one realised what was happening, and I was able to shoot the champion as though it was a private photo session. But not two breaths later the calmness was shattered. His shoes were off, he stepped onto the rails of our stand and with a giant stride reached his fans who clung to him, snapping photos with their phones and getting autographs. After Bolt left the stadium the crowds died down. The stands began to clear. Fans were no longer paying attention to the athletes still competing in the field. Photographers wrapped up for the day.

Ricky Robertson, a high jumper from the USA, had one more jump to try make it into the high jump finals. But no one was watching him. Tension weighed heavy on his shoulders. He raised his hands above his head and began to clap, trying to rouse the spectators from the isles. His fellow competitors joined in, clapping for him, cheering him on. The crowds took notice and began to clap too. He was ready to jump, to make that last attempt just before his time ran out.

Luis Castro was one of his fellow high jumpers. After finishing his jumps, he started screaming and shouting, cheering with joy. At that moment he knew he didn’t make it to the finals, having missed his three attempts at 2.26m but he was beaming with joy none the less, proud to represent his country amongst the best of the world. He did qualify for the final though, along with three other athletes with the same performance as he did, in order to fill the 12 spots in the final round.

Kyriakos Ioannou was also one of those three high jumpers who made it to the finals. He was calm before his last jump, concentrating on his goal. He took part in the three Olympic games before Rio with the dream of qualifying to the final, which he made a reality in these games.

Pavlos Kontides is the only Cypriot to ever win an Olympic medal. In 2012 he became the pride of the country winning the silver in Laser Sailing. He won silver in the 2013 world championships and has had a remarkable career both before and after 2012. He, like most sailors taking part, struggled with the conditions during the Rio games.

The polluted waters of the Guanabara bay made many athletes ill. The winds posed a challenge, dying down for hours keeping the sailors on land just waiting for the flag which would allow them to go compete, building up tension and breaking mental preparation. And he was the golden boy of the country. All the pressure, the difficult conditions, an error in judging the winds and tides lead to him placing 7^th in the games. But the games are about more than the gold. They are about the effort, mutual respect and the refusal to give up. Kontides did the best he could, pushing himself as hard as possible in every single race. And he didn’t give up, just because he didn’t win. Not a year later he became world champion.

The Rio Olympics were a bright escape in a conflicted year, which did not quite go as expected. The city was politically, financially and socially unstable, under repeated terror threats and with the zika virus filling visitors with fear. Ticket sales were low, infrastructure was delayed. A doping scandal hurt the ideals of the Olympics… the games seemed destined to be a disaster.

But instead they exemplified what every Olympic Games show: unity and Optimism in Sport. Athletes and officials, press and spectators gathered in this lively city to celebrate the triumphs and challenges that make up these games. Hundreds of thousands of people came together to make this spectacle unique from the first song heard at the opening ceremony to the last fireworks of the closing ceremony.

Without meaning to paint a false picture, as not every moment during these games was ideal, under the Olympic anthem people came together. For just over two glorious weeks sport brought together people from all over the globe, from every culture, every religion and every walk of life, and championed them all as individuals. For the first time in history ten athletes competed under the Olympic flag as part of the refugee Olympic team. These people are a symbol of hope in a war-torn world. Yursa Mardini is one of them. She was born in Syria. Her home was destroyed during the civil war and she and her sister fled not a year before the Rio games.

They travelled to Lebanon, then Turkey and arranged passage to Greece on a small boat that was meant to carry six people, with eighteen other souls. They left their country and family behind, left land and set off against the waves of the Aegean. The motor stopped working and the boat began taking on water. Mardini, her sister and two other men were the only ones who knew how to swim. They jumped into the water and pushed the boat for over three hours until they carried all on board to safety, reaching the island of Lesbos.

She was 17 years old at the time. At 18 she was allowed to compete in the Rio games, beside other athletes who no longer have a nation they can call home. Because of politics, these people who trained diligently for years, perhaps decades, would not be allowed to compete, but that changed in Rio. Here she was allowed to make her dream of reaching the Olympics a reality, in spite of the turmoil rife in the rest of the world.

Marios Georgiou is the first artistic gymnast to qualify for the Olympic games for Cyprus. His passion for the sport is evident from the first moment he steps into the arena, smiling and bouncing from foot to foot. Not only did he make it to the Olympic games, but he qualified for the men’s individual all-round final, joining the elite of this incredibly challenging sport. But during training a day before the final he broke his ankle. He did not give up.

He competed in the finals in spite of the pain. He tumbled down gripping his ankle after landing his jump on the vault, the first apparatus of his rotation. He took a breath and performed on the parallel bars, doing flips and turns in the air but once more tumbling during the landing, his pain obvious on his face. He moved on to the high bar and withdrew from competition just before the floor. He wouldn’t let an injury steal the spotlight and stop him from living his dream.

Yana Kudryavtseva is known as the “angel with iron wings” for her passion and strong will. She is the youngest rhythmic gymnast to win the world championships in the all-around at 15 and remained on the podium throughout her career. She was in the lead for the gold medal in the first and second rotation, performing beautifully with both the hoop and ball. In the last second of her third rotation though she dropped one of her clubs during her finishing move.

The gold slipped through her fingers. But she kept her composure, a feat which not many athletes or people are capable of to such a degree, knowing her dream of winning an Olympic gold would never become a reality. She performed beautifully with the ribbon and secured the silver, hugging and cheering on her teammate, Margarita Mamun, who won the gold.

Genzebe Dibaba has two older sisters, Tirunesh who has won six Olympic medals, three of which were gold, and Ejegayehu who won a silver in the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also has a brother who is an athlete and a cousin who also won three Olympic medals. She ran in her first Olympic games in Rio hoping to set her own mark on the family legacy and managed to win the silver medal. She is currently the holder of eight world records, the most world records held simultaneously by an athlete in history and is considered the greatest female miler ever.

Andre De Grasse is another remarkable sprinter who won the silver medal in the 200m, and the bronze in the 4x100m relay and in the 100m. He passed the finish line with a time of 9.91s and sat down, resting his head on the ground. He looked up at the screen to see how he did when Akani Simbine of South Africa came over to congratulate him. De Grasse was so happy he won the bronze even though he was only 0.02s behind Justin Gatlin of the USA, who won the silver.

Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus competed in the first heat of the 110m hurdle race. The athletes stepped out onto the track and warmed up. They were introduced by the commentators and as they took their places on the starting blocks torrential rain broke out. Everyone in the stadium was fleeing for cover and soaked through within seconds. The blue track turned into a slippery sea.

But the race went on as planned. He jumped the first hurdle but hit the second one, shattering it with his knee, the pieces scattering all over the track. He jumped the third, stumbled on the fourth, and on another and another, crossing the finish line. He ran with all his might and thought he didn’t make it. He was frustrated, full of emotion. Then looked up at the screen to see just how badly he performed, and his hands fell to his mouth in disbelief. He made it, qualifying for the semi-finals and then making it to the finals, placing 7^th and joining the hall of Olympians.

These were some of the ‘Moments of Glory’ behind the exhibition held first in Cyprus in May 2017 and then in London in June 2018.

Source: Selene Alexia