Final topic

Read this long (long) article and then write your views, comments, thoughts and feelings. You have until 09/11/20 to do this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/54342301

From my point of view, after reading this (long) article, Michael Gunning is one of the best exemple for jung people, athletes or even for older people. Because he is a person who has not a easy life but who figths to do want he wants to do. Whether it's in his sport or for his sexuality or for his skin color. Excuse me for the expression but "He has the hard pack to be a a very good athlete in swimming", because he is black and gay. So, he wants to be the best in a sport which is dominate by white people and in addition of that he is gay. But everybody know that it's more difficulte to find a a good coach, have acces to good infrastructure and don't be the target of bullying or aggression...
He says to the journalist that he was aggress and bully by their classmates then he decided to not express his sexuality and shut up him in a programme of training for the natation. But after an attack he realised that he needs not to shut up himself to be the best. On the contrary he has to be entiere and honnest self.
So he has decided to express himself, his sexuality... And go in Jamaïca to be an athlete. To my mind it's the best thing that he did for him. Because he shows to the world that it's possible to be one of the best swimmer, athlete etc.. By being black and gay.
In addition, he is very engaged for LGBTQ+ community and for Black community. He revendicate that they have the same rights that white and hetero people.
For me, it's a symbol of Hope because he is a great exemple for next generations and even the recently generation because he shows to everybody that you can be yourself and do what you want and realize your dreams. He is not an exemple just for other people who are gay or black or both... He is an exemple for everybody.

This article is very touching. I'm am sorry for him but in the same time happy. Sorry because of his experiences in his life but happy cause he knows how to be joyfull and very strong. I admire him for his brightfull mind and his capacity to make something dark into a luminous view. His experience as a Public person is in a way awesome. Althought there were some idiots in his life, he knew separated the good/bad, truth/lies. His man his I think one of the strongest athletic I know ( due to his past). I don't understand why someone is constanly judges about his choices, feelings and personnality. Nobody is affected so why and how a person allow himself to bullied someone?

This article is very touching, it reveals Michael Gunning's struggle at the end of his life which were very hard. Indeed, harassed at school and throwing acid at him because of his skin colour, he was also gay, which expelled him from others. It's sad to see that still in today's world only for one colour or sexuality. This one survived a murderous attack which is an incredible stroke of luck. At least Michael Gunning has made a name for himself in a sport dominated by whites, which is swimming, with several medals won. Gunning is an exemplary man, he fought for the fight against racism so that there are finally changes. A person should live in peace and do what they want with their sexuality, to live being black, Arab, white, without knowing about dead ends and harassment. However, he showed that it is possible and that all this must stop.

Michael Gunning, is for me through this article, an "example" for our company. He is a black athlete who practices a sport dominated mainly by white people. This shows that he does not deny his color and his origins despite the looks he is given and his loneliness in this sport and even feels "lucky" to practice it at the highest level. Furthermore, in his childhood he suffered a lot of bullying, but that didn't mean he gave up, he fought to become what he is today but also survived the terrorist attack in manchester. Finally, if I had to remember one phrase from this man, it is "The process of getting to know yourself is not to be afraid to show others what you find".

After reading this article I try to put myself in Michael Gunning's shoes and imagine my behavior, my attitude. But I think that if you don't experience the same thing as a person, it's very difficult to realize how difficult your life is. I find his testimony very interesting, and very encouraging for people like him. Or quite simply for people who have difficulties to overcome. An example like this makes you want to fight to achieve your goal. Everyone in this testimony should feel stronger after reading. I think it takes people like Michael Gunning to show that it is possible, whoever we are we can achieve our goals if we are determined. In our society we need precursors like him otherwise our world will never evolve in the right direction. What I find very positive is that he sees himself as “lucky” when he has lived through difficult discrimination, of all these difficult moments in his life he only retains the positive, which made him move forward. , without that he would not be the man he is now so he is positive about his career and the good influence he brings to others by becoming popular thanks to the competition.

This very long article is above all very touching. Michael Gunning is a model for everybody. It's really sad to see racism and homophobia in our society today and it must change! Especially in some countries like Jamaica where you can go to prison because you are gay. I find he's impressive mentally, because since he was a child he has been exposed to a lot of violence. But he never said anything and kept everything to himself. He was even there when there was the attack in Manchester while he was having fun for once. Despite all these hardships, he was always smiling. I don't understand why people are always judged.
Swimming helped him a lot and now he assumes him completely. He has won many medals, especially in junior with Great Britain. He is engaged in the Black Lives Matter movement which fights against racism and for LGBTQ+ equality. He has always fought and now he has made a success of his life. His story is very touching and he's a model for future generations. He always smiling and he looks like so nice.

My first impression of Michael Gunning is that he's amazing. He passed through a lot of difficulties, he had to fight a lot in his life, and today he sees the life only from the good side. Let's talk about the main difficulties of his life. First, he had to confront something that should not exist : racism from his classmates, in sport... in everyday life. Then, he endured because of his sexuality. It was very hard too. He hid the fact that he's gay during a lot of years because he was already victim of racism, so he had fears, and we know that homophobia, which should'nt exist too, is anchored in the society.
But Gunning can be taken as an example, because he has a big strength of mind and he began to fight against these two problems. He's very engaged in the fight against racism, and he assumes his sexuality despite the intolerance in Jamaïca. He is trying to promote the fact that everyone can be a swimmer, everyone has his place, whoever he is.
I totally agree with him. I hope that mentalities will evolve even more, and that racism and homophobia will stop one day.
I felt touched by this article and I think that we can admire Michael Gunning.

This article is very interesting and shows the human bets but also how far racism can go. I think Michael Gunning is a very strong person who has endured a lot of things like the 2017 terrorist attack in Manchester who says he changed him. He is someone who is very positive, who has never given up on his dreams and who today aims for the Tokyo Olympics in 2022. The part where he talks that people threw acid at him touched me enormously and shocked me. He is very strong because he even assumed his homosexuality even though he was already suffering from racism. I think it's horrible when he talks about the arrest of his brother who didn't do anything but just corresponded to someone or even just because he was black. When he tells at the end of the article his "survivor's guilt" of the Ariana Grande concert bombing it touches me because it is at this moment as he says that we see that life does not hold up much and being in the wrong place at the wrong time can cost us our lives. I found this article very interesting and very touching!

This very long article is above all very touching. I think Michael Gunning must to be a model for everyone. Unfortunately, today there is racism and homophobia yet. He has so much suffer during his young past, he was to be harry because he was a black person, he was insulting because he’s someone who loves men. I disagree with all this hate in our society but it’s always here. To escape all the pain he could to feel, he needed to swim a lot to evacuate his anxieties. Swimming makes him fine and motivates him for do better to contradict people who say black people are inferior. I found this incredible how he’s capable of transforming the wrong and sad part of his life into an exploit and something who is wonderful.
I like the last sentence of this article because the swimmer recalls we are all capable of doing good things in our life no matter our past, our history, our skin colour… everythings is possible that depends just on us.

Michael Gunning is an example for all. He did not have an easy childhood but despite everything he took his responsibilities in order to realize his passion which is the high level in swimming. He has become a top athlete and fully assumes his homosexuality, which was not the case for a certain period because he was already the victim of rascality and odnc preferred to hide it. He is a black man, homosexual and a very big Jamaican swimmer.
thanks to his exemplary career, he manages to fight directly and indirectly against injustices concerning rascima and homophobia. I think Michael Gunning is a very strong person who has endured a lot of things like the Manchester terrorist attack in 2017 which says he changed him. Today his goal is to perform very well at the future TOKYO Olympic Games IN 2022. It is a very beautiful thing that he has managed to reach such a level in a sport like swimming which is mainly practiced by whites.

Je trouve que cet article sur Michael Gunning est très touchant. On vois qu'il aime vraiment son sport et malgré toutes les atrocités qu'il a pu vivre ou que les autres ont pu effectués sur lui, il à su gardé seulement le côté positifs de la chose en disant très souvent, qu'il a comme même de la chance. Je trouve ca extrèmement important de savoir que de plus en plus de personne de couleur se mettent à fournir énormément de bons résultats dans le sport professionnelle car cela permet une grande visibilité de leurs part pour les gens qui subissent des discriminations et qui peuvent donc reprendre confiance en eux surtout dans le contexte actuel où nous nous trouvons. Cependant je trouve ca très grave qu'il vois seulement le côté chanceux car pour lui ce genre d'évènemment est devenue entre guillemet banale alors que ce sont des actions très grave qui doivent être absoluement punit par la loi quelque soit la gouvernence du pays, bien sur ce n'est que mon avis, mais pour moi lancer de l'acide ou insulter quelqu'un juste pour son orientation sexuel ou sa couleur est horrible et inhumain. Pour moi, le sport, quelque soit le niveau est avant tout un lieu de passion et d'appretissage ou on ne doit en aucun cas laisser la place à des discriminations sociales ou bien des problèmes politiques ou autres, c'est un milieu de cohésion et de passion et ça devrais seuelement en rester la, il ne devrais même pas avoir de discussion. En effet il a vécu énormément d'horreur mais pour moi il est sur la bonne voie pour devenir un symbole du sport et de la communauté noir.

Quentin wrote:
Je trouve que cet article sur Michael Gunning est très touchant. On vois qu'il aime vraiment son sport et malgré toutes les atrocités qu'il a pu vivre ou que les autres ont pu effectués sur lui, il à su gardé seulement le côté positifs de la chose en disant très souvent, qu'il a comme même de la chance. Je trouve ca extrèmement important de savoir que de plus en plus de personne de couleur se mettent à fournir énormément de bons résultats dans le sport professionnelle car cela permet une grande visibilité de leurs part pour les gens qui subissent des discriminations et qui peuvent donc reprendre confiance en eux surtout dans le contexte actuel où nous nous trouvons. Cependant je trouve ca très grave qu'il vois seulement le côté chanceux car pour lui ce genre d'évènemment est devenue entre guillemet banale alors que ce sont des actions très grave qui doivent être absoluement punit par la loi quelque soit la gouvernence du pays, bien sur ce n'est que mon avis, mais pour moi lancer de l'acide ou insulter quelqu'un juste pour son orientation sexuel ou sa couleur est horrible et inhumain. Pour moi, le sport, quelque soit le niveau est avant tout un lieu de passion et d'appretissage ou on ne doit en aucun cas laisser la place à des discriminations sociales ou bien des problèmes politiques ou autres, c'est un milieu de cohésion et de passion et ça devrais seuelement en rester la, il ne devrais même pas avoir de discussion. En effet il a vécu énormément d'horreur mais pour moi il est sur la bonne voie pour devenir un symbole du sport et de la communauté noir.

Hmmm wrong class or failed to cut and paste from a translator properly.

This article is very touching but encouraging because it shows that despite the difficulties we can get by. I do not find it normal that Gunning experience descrimination that should be punished. I believe that no matter our sexuality or our skin color, we have the right to be happy and to have the same rights. I find it courageous of him to start swimming to let off steam.
it is a pity that people of black color swim less than people of white color because the discipline can be practiced by these two colors because there is performance. He fought all his life and it is admirable. The event in Manchester at Ariana Grande concert was tragic but it made Gunning to realize that the life he had was a chance and that he would enjoy it to the fullest. He understoods that he had to do things as soon as we wanted to because anything can happen at any moment. All this he discovered and appeared with the help of a therapist.
I find this article very beautiful too because it uses powerful words, and Gunning fights for his desires, his goals it is very courageous and admiring.

The course of this athlete is very motivating and symbolic for children in the same situation as him. For him, he is lucky but in reality he was determined to be successful. A lot of racist people tried to undermine his success, but he managed to never give up. It was a very encouraging journey that moved me. Moreover, by associating with a claim against racism shows that he wants that to change, that his future children do not live what he has lived.
He tries to develop his sport so that there are more black people in the swimming pools, that there are more black people who win gold medals ...
It's very interesting, he wants to move the world forward by limiting racism to avoid situations in which he has lived as well as by developing his sports practice in his country.

After reading this story I was not so surprised, and it came to my mind : "still another one". Indeed racism and homophobics discriminations are unfortunately common in our society. So I have no real feelings about that; I'm just completly desperate by this way of thinking. Moreover I find it irrealistic, because from our childhood we learn that sport is for equality, fraternity and respect, but when you read this article , you understand rapidely what is "SPORT" : a reflect of our society. I mean violence, discrimination, economic corruption, intolerance : 21st century ? surely for technologies but absolutely not for human relationships .
It seems that our world has learnt nothing from his past .
But sport isn't only bad, and I think Gunning is a good example : he shows us a huge capacity of abnegation, and a strong determination.
He is not only an athlete in the water he is a very strong one in his mind because he has to 'fight' on both sides : for his colour and for his sexuality , in fact for who he is .

This article is a portrait of an optimistic man. This man is a high-level, black, gay swimmer. There are few black athletes in swimming and he says he’s lucky to be a part of it. At school he suffered discrimination and swimming helped him feel better. As a victim of discrimination he is fighting today to make sure there are no more. He hopes that there will be more and more people of colour around the pools and that they will be able to win Olympic medals. I think this athlete has shown tremendous courage throughout his career. He deserves to be one of the best. For me, this is an example for future generations. Young people must be inspired by him and not be afraid to dream. It’s because of people like him that mentalities evolve and that grief is possible. I hope that people and especially young people will understand that anything is possible, especially today.

This article is very moving and tells of Michael Gunning’s difficult fight at the end of his life. In fact, he was harassed at school and acidified because of the color of his skin. He was also gay; the others then pushed him aside. He also survived a deadly attack, a stroke of luck. He is an excellent swimmer who was able to win and accept his differences. He has fought racism for many years, he has shown that it is possible to live in peace and that all this must be stopped and that mentalities must evolve.

This article is very touching. It talk about Michael Gunning who is an black gay swimmer. He's a former Great Britain swimmer but he changed and now competes for Jamaica. He switching in 2016. For him he was "lucky" to be competing at the highest level in the sport he loves. He had a lot of problems because of he is gay. Furthermore he is black so he was victim of the racist. He has a hard life because of his past but he has still kept smilling. It is good for him to have a smile in all situations. People's past greatly influences their future. People love judge people and it's bad.

this article is about a swimmer who thinks he is "lucky" to have reached such a level when he is gay and black skinned.
I find that we live in a racist world where people with "differences" will not achieve anything in life and cannot be a top athlete.
we see here that sport is an escape: when he was insulted he would go swimming, when there was the explosion his means of escape was swimming. Sport is therapy, a way to escape from everyday life ...
it's a very touching message and hopeful.
in sport / competition he managed to find his happiness despite the many obstacles he had to face. he is now a top athlete who has won.

After reading this article, I see that it is touching, moving but above all motivating. Because this man exudes an enormous perseverance, a gigantic motivation. He defends his rights, and this is the example to follow in 2020. Despite his disability, or his skin color or even his sexual orientation, he is always present, even if sometimes it should not be easy because there still has people in 2020 who neglect this kind of person that is this man, see even laugh, and this man is the perfect example not only in sport, on a mental level, but also in everyday life , he is the example that we should follow.