Woman's heartfelt gesture towards defeated Olympians exemplifies the kindness we need

The spotlight of all media outlets and the internet is on the winners of the Olympics and their medals. While the winners deserve their hard-earned recognition and applause, athletes who competed with much perseverance and still didn't take home a medal need a bit of appreciation as well. Like the winners, these athletes also deserve respect and applause for putting up a tough competition before letting go of the medal. A young woman named Hannah Hall–who goes by @hannahisinthehalls on TikTok–rightly ensured the same at the Olympic table tennis match, reports Newsweek. 

Hall was lucky to win a lottery and witness the Olympics live with her family. The family caught the table tennis event that she documented on her TikTok. However, the medals were only three and other athletes who lost the match were disheartened. In her video, Hall captured how each player who lost made their way out of the court dejected, trying to hold in their emotions. Amid all the hype and attention focused on the winners, the athletes who lost had to make their way out in silence, feeling completely heartbroken at the event.

However, as Hall spotted the players leave with mixed emotions and expressions, she decided to do something special. "We were so sad we tried to cheer all of them on," Hall wrote in her video. She added, "My sister and I saw how sad the ones who hadn't been clapped for looked, so after the first four games, we started cheering especially loud. We stood up when they walked by and even got my brothers, husband and brother-in-law to join in!" The woman and her family applauded and cheered each country's players as they left.

No matter which country the athlete was from, the family was sure to clap and cheer as they left the court, appreciating their sportsmanship and performance. Though it might seem like a small thing to do for players who encountered a profound loss in their careers, the sportspersons felt appreciated and lifted a smile or a nod as they left the court. Hall mentioned that the Olympics weren't just about winning. People created games to encourage sportsmanship and support athletes. She pointed out that she felt "a sense of pride" in cheering for the athletes who lost.

"I wanted to make sure these athletes knew how incredible they were for even making it to the Olympics—not many people can say that. There is so much sadness, death, discrimination and anger in the world and I love that the Olympics has a way of bringing us all together and uniting us, even if only for a bit," she stated. People joined Hall in sharing encouragement to athletes who were defeated. @araaaraaa.999 wrote, "You guys did so well. Don't forget you're the best in your country." @meowcatmeow.xx added, "I'm crying. I just want to hug them!" @gladysraamos exclaimed, "I know they all can't win, but they're all so amazing."

You can follow Hannah Hall (@hannahisinthehalls) on TikTok for more content on lifestyle.