You should forgive Springfield’s own Ryan Held if you noticed getting a little teary-eyed at the medal ceremony when he and his 4X100 meter free relay men’s swim teammates received their gold medals.
Okay…Held really got A LOT teary-eyed, and tells NBC’s “Today Show” it was all for a good cause.
“I’ve heard the National Anthem played plenty of times before, and I’ve received awards before as I’ve received awards before as they’ve played the National Anthem…but this is different,” says Held. “The emotions kind of manifested themselves on the podium, and the tears started rolling.”
While much of the media focus was on Michael Phelps, and while we’d rather focus on Held, Held says Phelps is a good man.
“He’s a great leader, he’s a great athlete,” says Held. “He kind of gives a sense of confidence to other swimmers. So, when I’m around him, I feel a little bit stronger, I stand a little bit taller, I just feel a little bit more confident.”
Held says he didn’t immediately realize he had helped win gold, because he was so tired and sore from swimming the third leg of the race, but once he did, it was “euphoria.”