3x3 Olympic champion Nauris Miezis opens up on being a CODA: People were laughing because I was different
In an interview with Olympics.com, the Latvian spoke about his experience growing up as a child of deaf parents and how they shaped him into the athlete he is today.
Basketball 3x3
A few friends fishing on a boat.
To Nauris Miezis, there is nothing purer in this world.
The idyll of being out on the water in the calm of the waves, chasing after the biggest catch of the day surrounded by the people he holds closest, brings about a warmth to the 3x3 basketball Olympic champion.
At the suggestion of whether beer is also involved in his perfect day, the Latvian nods affirmatively, “Of course,” he says with a grin to Olympics.com. “It’s part of fishing.”
A day on the gentle waves patiently waiting, soaking in the tranquil is a world away from the life Miezis typically knows.
Part of Beijing - the 3x3 World Tour side - and Latvia’s 3x3 team, music-thumping, adrenaline-fuelled, heartstopping action is part of Miezis’ day-to-day.
And the world's number five ranked player always seems to come alive in those do-or-die moments.
Staring down a five-point deficit in the inaugural men’s Olympic 3x3 basketball final Miezis, with his sidekick Karlis Lasmanis battled back for supremacy. And Lasmanis, under the pressure of the world, scored a brilliant two to win the gold for Latvia.
The four-squad erupted in jubilation. Edgar Krumins, on what would later be diagnosed as a broken leg, hobbled over to the dogpile of players shouting and crying with joy.
Nauris Miezis: "It wasn't easy: my childhood"
There’s a certain sweetness for Miezis that in those big moments, he is there, often on the celebrating side.
Since making the switch to 3x3, Miezis has a trophy cabinet full of prizes with the Tokyo gold medal being his proudest:“[I get] goosebumps every time when you ask me about the Olympics and gold medal,” he said. “It's crazy.”
Not only do his prizes look good on his wall, but they’re also a reminder of how far he personally has come.
Born in 1991, Miezis is a child of deaf adults (CODA) with his sister, also deaf.
“It wasn’t easy: my childhood,” the Latvian said, remembering his early years.
With sign language as his first language, Miezis came to speech at a much later age than his peers in kindergarten. It meant that he was often bullied for his lack of understanding.
“It’s hard to grow up in these families because when I was younger a lot of people were laughing about that,” he continued, “because I was different.”
The hardship he faced at the hands of others took its toll, but Miezis’ parents did what they could to help him still thrive.
Both keen on sports, they, and his grandparents, urged him to follow in their footsteps.
“They were all about sport,” he said. “And I think it was only a matter of time that I would be doing sports. My mum and dad would always take me to the gym where they were practising and there was a time in my first and second year in school where I was in three sports: floorball, soccer and basketball.”
The outlet of sports helped Miezis navigate through school with him quickly showing an aptitude for both soccer and basketball.
But in the end, it would be hoops that would have his heart.
In the mixed zone after Latvia’s triumph in Tokyo, Miezis, surrounded by the press signed his message to those back home, it was then the world learnt of his life as a CODA.
Speaking about the experience more generally, Miezis expressed his pride and love for the family that raised him.
“We can't choose the parents and the life that you have. But still, I'm happy that my parents were always by my side, and, still, I grew up like a normal person,” he said with a smile.
“And nothing has changed. I like my life, and I love my parents.”
The next step in Miezis’ Olympic journey will be about defending the title he and the team secured so dramatically in Japan.
With a host of teams building to try and stop the Latvians from doing the double, the grind never stops for Miezis whose road to qualification is underway.
The 3x3 World Tour, which he competes on, is a worldwide affair and spans from April to December. Throw in his international duties, which this year included the World Cup in Austria, and it means the Olympic champion is more often than not away from the ones he loves.
“My wife understands that we can’t spend a lot of time together because the tournament is a whole year and I’m away,” Miezis explained.
“But still, she is supporting me and always texting me ‘morning champ’, all these small things,” he said with a smile.
Another person who also keeps Miezis grounded aside from his wife and family, and has done so since the start of his 3x3 journey is his cat Mario, who also brings out a certain joy in the half-court star.
“He’s a part of it,” Miezis said naming the group of people who are supporting him. “When I started playing 3x3 we got a cat and he’s like my partner in crime.”
With his eye on a second gold medal, Miezis knows that the next few months will be some of the most challenging in his career but given his support network - his family, his wife Marita and Mario the cat - around him, the Latvian will endeavour to be the best version of himself he can be.
And hopefully, back on the water fishing again soon.