Cody Miller: An Inspirational Olympian

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The Olympics, a worldwide series of competitive events, dating back to ancient Greece, occur every four years and have captured international attention for centuries. This awe-inducing event is highly praised, and the athletes that participate are the crème de la crème of athletes. However, these professionals didn’t just wake up to success knocking on their door.

The road to Olympic success is long and full of sacrifice. Olympic swimmer Cody Miller is well aware of the hard work that is required to become an Olympian. It all began when Miller’s mother took him to swimming lessons at a young age, and from then on, he was in love with swimming.

“The basis of the Olympics isn’t the sport nor the medals, but the years of hard work and training you did to get there. If you don’t love the process, it’s not worth it. Being on the medal stage and going to the Olympics is just a small sliver of time for this four year gap. You really have to love waking up at 5 a.m. to do this sport, otherwise it’s not worth it,” said Miller. Early mornings, late nights, a strict diet, and hours upon hours of practice can be mentally and physically draining. After 15 years of complete dedication to his sport, Miller reached the the pinnacle of athletic endeavors.  

The 2016 Olympics, held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, greeted the world with open arms. Millions poured into the city in support of the momentous event, and among those millions were Cody Miller and his fiancé, Ali Dewitt, a teacher at Bell-Intermediate Academy in Martinsville, IN.  Miller grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and, upon high school graduation, attended Indiana University where he committed to swimming. It was at IU where Miller met Dewitt, who was a swim coach. The two began dating after Miller graduated from IU and have been inseparable ever since.

While in Rio, Cody Miller received a gold medal in the Men’s 4x100m medley relay as well as a bronze medal in the Men’s 100m breaststroke. Along with the bronze medal in the Men’s 100m breaststroke came a new personal record for Miller. He described the moment of “sheer joy” as indescribable. The years that led up to the Olympics played a huge role in Miller’s success. He credits his experience at Indiana University, as well as his coaches, for aiding him in his journey to becoming a professional swimmer.

Upon returning from Rio, Miller visited Bell-Intermediate Academy to speak to the student body. Among the audience, along with the students of Bell-Intermediate, were students from Smith Elementary, swimmers and divers from Martinsville High School among others from the community. During the program, Miller addressed three points; recognize that you have a gift, work hard for what you want, and learn what you need to do to become the best that you can be. In explaining these three keys to success, Miller told about his experience as a swimmer and of the hard work that was required to reach his goal of how hard he had to work in order to reach his goal.  

“If you push yourself to be the best that you can be, then nothing can stand in your way. Sure, life has a few bumps in the road and it can sometimes be a rollercoaster, but as long as you believe that you can do your best and push yourself to great things, then you will achieve your goals,” said Miller.

He also stressed the importance of focus and of how students should apply themselves in school in order to be successful. “Focus is the key to success whether you are about to race someone from another school or taking a test for your math class; you need focus to achieve your goals,” said Miller.

Throughout his journey to becoming an Olympian, Cody Miller has faced both triumphs and tribulations.  However, the process of becoming successful is what makes it all worth it.