From the outstanding book "Legacy" by James Kerr comes a great story of perseverance and resilience:
Champions do extra.
It's true in all kinds of sport. There's the story of marksman Karoly Takacs who was denied a place in the 1936 Olympics as, in pre-war Hungary, only officers could qualify. Undeterred, he set his sights on the 1940 games. But in 1938 a hand grenade shattered his his right hand -- his shooting hand. He trained himself to shoot with his left hand but the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled as war ravaged Europe. Finally, in 1948, thirty-eight-year-old Takacs competed in his first Olympic event, winning gold and setting a new world record, a right-handeder shooting left-handed.
Champions do extra.