Holiday presents that made future champions

Countless presents will be opened over the winter holidays. And amidst the sounds of crackling fireplaces, festive jingles, the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of happy giftees, a few new champions might be born as well.

As athletes know first-hand, much can change depending on the object that is found once the wrapping paper is ripped and thrown aside.

Olympics.com took a trip down memory lane with a handful of sports stars to learn about the life-changing presents that led them to the world stage, and sometimes even to the top of the Olympic or world podiums.

A present makes a champion

USA skateboarder Torey Pudwill could not contain his joy when he unwrapped his Christmas present 30 years ago.

“This is going to sound a bit cliché, but I got a skateboard for Christmas, and when I opened it, I cried,” the future world silver medallist told Olympics.com.

“I think I was three or four years old. My mom told me about it, 'cause I don't remember, but there's video of it.”

For Charlotte Worthington, the memory of her most perfect gift is something she remembers vividly. And the Briton's joy was just as great since she had not expected her family to succumb to the eccentric request.

Thirteen years old at the time, the only thing she wanted for Christmas was a scooter.

“I remember my family buying it for me and thinking, 'What on earth is she going to do with this? Like she wants it, OK, we'll get it,'" Worthington said.

"That made me so happy. I was never that fond of team sports. I didn't always thrive in that situation, whereas this could be my own creative expression. I could think of new ideas, put new lines, new tricks together."

Fast forward 12 years and Worthington, who smoothly transitioned from scooters to BMX bikes, became the first BMX freestyle champion in Olympic history.

Like Worthington, Aurelien Giraud knew exactly what he wanted for Christmas. His father bought him roller skates when he was four years old and took him to a skatepark to try them out.

While it turned out that Giraud was too young to go into the park, the trip proved life-altering all the same.

"I saw older guys skateboarding and I told myself, 'This is what I want to do,'" France's 2023 street skateboarding world champion recalled.

“They were making really high jumps. They had a really good level. This is how I fell into skateboard. I asked for a skateboard as a Christmas gift and since that day, I have never put on rollers anymore nor done anything else."

A detour en route to glory

Fellow French athlete Laury Perez also received some wheels over the holidays. Little did she know that it would be the start of her life as a competitive athlete.

“I received a BMX [bike] when I was 10 years old. Then there was a competition in my village, I did it and I knew it was what I wanted to do,” the European medallist in BMX freestyle said.

The attraction to a sports-related gift is not always as quick as it was for Perez, however.

If you're aspiring to set a youngster on a path to sports glory but your present doesn’t elicit an immediate gasp of awe, don’t despair. You may still get a thank you nod in a post-competition interview at an Olympic Games years down the line.

That was the case with Olympic silver medallist and Pan American Games champion Daniel Dhers who took eight years to fall in love with his bike.

"One of my godfathers gave me a bike when I was four years old and I didn't like it at all,” recalled the Venezuelan BMX freestyle legend. “I remember that I had the support wheels. I rolled down the street, I fell, and I told my mother that I didn't want to do that. And I never saw the bicycle again.

“When I was 12 years old, my friends from the block began to ride bikes and I was left alone, so I dusted off the bicycle. I hid so that they would not see me learning, and I learned."

A gift to turn an athlete into a legend

By 15 years old, future world-record holder Marcel Hug was already well on his way in wheelchair racing, but it was the gift he received for Christmas in 2000 that set the Swiss athlete up for true greatness.

His long-time coach Paul Odermatt packed a special present for his protégé on the way back from the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games where he was helping the national team.

"I still remember the moment when I got this present, unwrapped it," Hug reminisced. "It was nice."

Beneath the wrapping paper was a shiny helmet which would earn Hug the nickname 'The Silver Bullet' and help power him to six Paralympic titles, 12 world titles and world records in the marathon, half-marathon, 10,000m and 1500m.

"As soon as I have the silver helmet on, there is a switch and then I switch to an athlete, very focussed and determined,” Hug said. “It became my trademark."

Helping a champion stay a champion

Picking out the perfect present is no easy task. Unless, of course, the prospective recipient is an Olympian with a wish list planned years in advance.

“The Christmas gift I always ask others for is a pair of boots because I'm an athlete and have to wear rugby boots every day,” said Luiza Campos, who represented Brazil in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 rugby sevens tournaments.

“It's always nice to get some for Christmas, and I'm a bit addicted to rugby boots. The more the better.”

For Cape Verde’s Nancy Moreira, some gift-wrapped boxing gear was just the motivation she needed not only to keep working on her craft, but also to embrace her unique look in the sport.

“The coolest gift I remember receiving that changed my life was a complete set of boxing gear and lots of very feminine sportswear. Then I realised that I didn't need to look like a man to practise high-competition boxing,” said the 2023 African welterweight champion.

A gift that can't be bought

For Brazilian skateboarder Gabriela Mazetto, the best present was not one sitting wrapped under a tree.

“Spending the first Christmas with my daughter Liz was the greatest gift I ever got,” said Mazetto whose daughter was born three days before Tokyo 2020. “She loves Christmas, the lights, the trees. She goes, 'Mummy, can you see it?.' She gets super excited about it.”

For another Brazilian skater, Pamela Rosa, a similar present is currently en route and she is already feeling excited.

“My niece Maria Rosa is arriving soon, so that's going to be the perfect Christmas present,” Rosa said. “Having the greatest people around me and supporting me is also a great gift.”

Brazilian archer Marcus D'Almeida also considers time with family the ultimate in holiday gifts.

“The spirit of Christmas is like this, the moment of being together," he said. "Christmas in general involves the whole family. We even got together with my great-grandmother when she was alive. We got a good part of the family together. I can't think of anything tangible about Christmas.”

USA’s Torey Pudwill agreed: “The greatest gift is being able to love. Nowadays, I don't know what I would want as a gift. But being able to receive love is the best thing about the holidays.”