Flourish in sport : exploring the lived experiences of track and field Olympic medalists

Abstract

In was the intent of this study to explore the lived experiences of Olympic Track and Field medal winning athletes. This study interviewed four athletes that participated in the 2012 London Olympic Games. The athletes described their experience of the Olympic games. The researcher then explored these lived experiences for evidence of well-being. The researcher then used a well-being model to compare the experiences of well-being for consistencies. The well-being model was the PERMA model presented by Martin Seligman (2011). The PERMA model consists of five experiential elements, which are Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Achievement. This study reported the evidence of these five experiential elements of well-being that emerged from the rich descriptions of the athlete's experience of the Olympic games.