Hearing Loss at the Olympics

Every two years, the world tunes in to watch the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and determination come to fruition on the world stage as Olympian athletes come together to compete in a wide variety of sports, alternating winter and summer sports events.

Recently, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro had us riveted to the performances of our heroes as they strove for the very pinnacle of athletic success – Olympic medals.

Olympic athletes continually endure many grueling hours of training, injuries, and numerous sacrifices to be able to compete on the Olympic stage, overcoming obstacle after obstacle in order to qualify and to win.

In addition to the extraordinary challenges athletes face to become Olympians, some of these fine athletes have also had to overcome the additional challenge of hearing loss, sometimes profound hearing loss that they were born with, others with acquired hearing loss.

These amazing athletes have refused to let their hearing loss keep them from achieving their dreams. In spite of their hearing loss, or maybe even because of it, these athletes have risen to the challenge of superiority in their individual sports.

Here are the stories of three such Olympic athletes.  

Marcus Titus, Swimming, USA

Marcus Titus, in many ways, is like your prototypical Olympic hopeful….determined, disciplined, and dedicated to his training, spending long hours in the pool perfecting his swimming strokes and his speed. However, there is one huge difference between Titus and his fellow swimmers: he was born without hearing ability.

After his initial diagnosis at the age of 3, his parents were determined to raise him with the same opportunities as his hearing peers, insisting on mainstreamed education and encouraging him to join the swim team in his first year of high school.  Once he started swimming in competition, he was hooked.

Titus insists that his hearing loss actually gave him a particular advantage – it empowered him to focus on the race, instead of the crowd noise and other swimmers.

He quickly realized that he could not rely on the visual cue of seeing the other swimmers dive off the blocks to start the race….even a split-second delay would put him at a distinct disadvantage. He requested the installation of strobe lights under the blocks, and has been strong in advocating these and other accommodations for other hearing impaired swimmers. He credits amazing coaches, family support, and his own drive for his success in competition.

Tamika Catchings, Basketball, USA

This young WNBA star was born with hearing loss, but blessed with amazing athletic talents. Tamika Catchings has competed for 15 seasons with the WNBA, winning the NCAA title and the WNBA championship, a six-time WNBA All-Star, a five-time Defensive Player of the Year, and is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Catchings was born with hearing impairment in both ears. She suffered teasing for her “big, clunky” hearing aids, and the speech problems that can accompany hearing impairment, even discarding her hearing aids at one point. Her parents would not replace them, so she had to develop an extraordinary work ethic in order to keep up scholastically.

Catchings soon discovered that sports helped to “even the playing field” for her at school. She excelled on the soccer field and eventually on the basketball court. In college, seeing Catchings’s talent and determination, her trainer convinced her to try hearing aids again and work with a speech pathologist. This was another turning point in her life, opening up new possibilities.

Today, thanks to new technology, Catchings has hearing aids that she can wear while playing. She notes that many sports are really made up of sign language and hand signals, and sees herself as having an advantage with or without her aids, because she has honed her observation skills to a greater degree than many of her hearing peers.

“I try not to look at my impairment as a disability, and it gives me a sense of appreciation when I hear stories from parents and kids – with or without disabilities – who look up to me for the struggles I’ve been through,” said Catchings.

David Smith, Volleyball, USA

Standing tall at 6’7”, a member of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Teams as a middle blocker, David Smith has helped the US men win the 2015 FIVB Men’s World Cup. He also has earned an engineering degree from UC Irvine.

Smith was born with mild-to-severe hearing loss, and has worn hearing aids from a very young age. As a youngster in school, he played every sport he could get his hands on, but excelled at soccer initially, volleyball being his off-season sport.

As he grew taller, he soon realized that his size and skills were best suited to volleyball, and he applied his incredible dedication to perfecting his abilities. His superior skill, drive, and raw athleticism soon caught the eye of the US Volleyball Team.

“To his credit, there hasn’t been a lot of adjustment,” says USA head volleyball coach Alan Knipe. “He’s very much overcome his hearing loss, and he very much wants to be another guy on the team. So he goes out of his way to makes sure it doesn’t hinder the team in any way.”

Smith’s lip reading and expert knowledge of the sport more than make up for any potential barrier. He wears hearing aids on and off the court.

Don’t Let Hearing Loss Stand in the Way of Your Dreams!

There is a lesson to be learned from these incredible athletes, and that is not to let hearing loss or any other obstacle stand in the way of attaining your dreams!

Consult with us at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Service and discover new technological advancements that can help you reach your fullest potential.

OC Physicians’ Hearing Services

Locations in Mission Viejo, Irvine, San Clemente, Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills

Call us to schedule: 949- 364-4361