During the Rio Olympics, we had a couple of fencers who were in position to win unprecedented gold medals. Neither competitor won gold but both got close enough to have the chance to win the top prize.

One was Daryl Homer from The Bronx. He was defeated in sabre by the world’s third-ranked fencer. With a broad smile, he proudly received the silver medal.

Daryl learned about fencing when he was just five years old. He saw the word in the dictionary. Enamored with the description in the book, he begged his mother to allow him try the sport. He soon was under the tutelage of former fencing champion and Olympic bronze medalist Peter Westbrook. Now a business executive, Westbrook also is the founder of a foundation that embraces the sport to enrich the lives of young people from underserved communities in the New York City area.

Daryl emerged as a prized pupil, earning a place on four All-America teams. He also became the first American man to win a medal (silver during 2015) at a world championship event.

At Rio, Daryl won his first three matches by comfortable margins to reach the semifinals. His opponent in that round overcame a seven-point run by Daryl to force a final bout. Daryl then exploded to the center for a touch that placed him in the finals.

After that victory, Daryl told everyone he didn’t have any regrets about his do-or-die strategy that placed him in a position to compete for the gold. His comments were reported by the Associated Press: “I was like…If I lose doing this, I’m going to lose doing this and I don’t care…If you want a medal, you have to do something big for it.”

U.S. Olympian Simone Biles is on top of the world.Many consider Simone to be the best female gymnast in the world. At age 19, she already is the most decorated gold medalist in world championship gymnastics history. At Rio, Simone collected several additional gold medals.

Hidden behind her success and her beautiful smile is a very different story. Her journey has not been an easy one.

Simone was born to drug-addicted parents and her father abandoned the family. She and her siblings were shuffled between foster homes and Ohio state care. One of those foster homes became a catalyst to Simone’s current success. She often mentions that the home had a trampoline but neither she nor her siblings were allowed to jump on it.

Eventually, when she was six, Simone and her sister were adopted by their grandparents and they moved to Texas. Grandma Nellie then had a talk with Simone and sister Adria. Grandma left it up to the girls if they wanted to call her and her husband “grandma” and “grandpa” or if they wanted to consider them as “mom” and “dad.”

Simone practiced the words while looking into a mirror. She said the words ‘mom” and ‘dad” countless times. Then, she went downstairs to the kitchen, looked up at her grandma and called out.

“Mom?” Nellie quickly responded “Yes! ”

Congratulations to Simone Biles on overcoming childhood challenges and for all the success she has earned at such a young age. She is just getting started!