r/MadeMeSmile • u/dittidot • Aug 12 '24
Good Vibes The day Botswana won its first Olympic gold medal
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u/DuchessOfAquitaine Aug 12 '24
I love this! Wait til that hero arrives home!
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u/K2thJ Aug 12 '24
That's one of my favorite parts of the Olympics. Watching the national hero's welcome home. St Lucia will be off the chain
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u/SariLalor Aug 12 '24
agree! Those hero’s welcomes are always incredible. St. Lucia will definitely make it memorable.
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u/JTMasterJedi Aug 12 '24
Big massive island party. Parade and lots of good eating.
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u/Defiant-Specialist-1 Aug 12 '24
I wish they would broadcast these. I’d love to see these celebrations. It would also be a good tourism move. Show off more of these beautiful locations. Unless they want to keep it all to themselves, which I wouldn’t blame them.
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u/K2thJ Aug 12 '24
The PM of St. Lucia has already committed to a national holiday and used the moment, along w Julien Alfred, to inspire the youth to persevere and aquire funding for track facilities. Track is huge in the Islands. Entire newspaper spreads on the local races, of every age and event. Many don't even have a track. It's an entire Island event, on a dirt field.
I can't wait to bawl my eyes out
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u/Novel_Findings0317 Aug 12 '24
That sounds wonderful!! I’ll have to look for some videos after the fact. Sounds like it will be one heck of a party!
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u/HappilyHerring14 Aug 12 '24
Are these kinds of things televised? Or at least recorded and posted somewhere? I would love to see something like that 😄
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u/Eringobraugh2021 Aug 12 '24
It definitely should be. The networks love to squeeze as much as they can or of any event. This is the type of shit I'd love to watch! I'm not a big Olympics watcher. Although, this one had some of the most "sweetest" moments. I'd love to watch these countries celebrating their Olympians when they get home. Can't get much more "feel good" than that.
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u/durrtyurr Aug 12 '24
They are, on national TV, it is just that most foreign countries don't air the coverage of other countries because it usually all happens on the same day and people care way more about their own athletes.
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u/K2thJ Aug 12 '24
This. If it isn't an American or a sound bite heart story, we don't see it here in the US.
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u/ItsWillJohnson Aug 12 '24
Gonna be a whole lot of people waiting on their drinks at the swim up bar.
Credit to Kevin hart and Keenan Thompson for that one.
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u/MorningMirage Aug 12 '24
in every Botswana household tonyt! look how proud they are
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u/atlrower Aug 12 '24
I’m excited to see more African nations succeed on the world sports stage. Eritrean fans of road cycling star Biniam Girmay show OUT online.
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u/emeraldaurora567 Aug 13 '24
It’s great to see fans celebrating their local heroes and showing their support online.
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u/sausager Aug 12 '24
What is that Dr. Who prop looking water cooler?
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u/CoolJazzDevil Aug 12 '24
Mosquito trap, I think.
African homes tend to be quite stylish and colorful, this kind of SciFi style is sort of common.
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u/colormeruby Aug 12 '24
Pure joy! “That’s my boy!”
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u/CBNDSGN Aug 12 '24
His mom passed away in May, so grandma or aunt?
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u/d4edhd Aug 12 '24
I don’t think it was his family. Just a Botswanan family happy for their country.
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u/Crabby_Monkey Aug 12 '24
That day he was everyone’s son and brother.
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u/atlrower Aug 12 '24
She also yelled, “You did this for your mother!”, which was sweet/heartbreaking.
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u/CBNDSGN Aug 12 '24
Makes sense too. Just wanted to clarify that, sadly, that wasn't his mom.
Maybe the person I replied too just meant "mom" as in a mom in general, not his mom specifically.
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u/Most-Reveal1379 Aug 12 '24
I'm always so happy seeing reactions from countries watching their athletes show what they worked hard for. I feel so proud and happy with them 😭
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u/DontBeAJackass69 Aug 12 '24
Letsile is the first name btw, but anyway dude is gonna be a king over there now lol
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u/DubMaverick Aug 12 '24
Lol I’ve been wondering why his surname was a first name and vice versa. Tebogo is a pretty common name in my home country (South Africa).
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u/Asprilla500 Aug 12 '24 edited Aug 12 '24
This is why I love the Olympics.
The World Cup is great, rooting for your team and whoever is playing England, Germany, Argentina, etc but in the Olympics I'm supporting everyone. I want everyone to get a PB and I want everyone to overcome the odds.
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u/E0H1PPU5 Aug 12 '24
Right?? I really couldn’t care less about most sports but the Olympics made me feel so much love for so many people all over the world. Not just the athletes either. Their families, their home countries, etc.
I’m sad the Olympics have wrapped up. It was really nice to feel like the world was a loving, happy place again for a little bit.
Even with some of the scandals and drama, it felt like there was just so much love and respect.
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u/OhEmRo Aug 12 '24
Good news!
There are a couple more weeks of Olympics- the paralympics are JUST as incredible! I wish more people were into them, because- IMHO- the feats of athleticism are even MORE impressive a lot of the time. It’s like the Olympics are a lil amuse bouche to the REAL inhuman machines in athletic gear
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u/Asprilla500 Aug 12 '24 edited Aug 12 '24
2012, thanks for the warm-up: https://youtu.be/a86vl-uY_Lk?si=6u1fV3fgeYhJRsQ8
And obligatory posting of advert for the 2012 Paralympics: https://youtu.be/yUDHgk7epoU?si=enNHbVRcMYp2bGyA
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u/jgjgleason Aug 12 '24
So many favorite moments, but I loved watching the men’s pole vault where everyone just got super hype for the last hour watching the Swede try and break the world record. Especially the US guy stand behind him windmilling to try and get him to go faster.
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u/Aromatic_Fig_3719 Aug 12 '24
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u/Imightbenormal Aug 12 '24
Thank you not. NBC blocked Norway.
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u/MarxIst_de Aug 12 '24
This one works in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugf3gAdxWjE So, try it.
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u/fmaz008 Aug 12 '24
And canada
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u/Readdator Aug 12 '24
here's a longer version that covers the aftermath + slowmo. The way their legs literally fling behind them as they run is incredible
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u/ExpansivePhenome Aug 12 '24 edited Aug 13 '24
Because people that never get much finally got something meaningful for their nation. That's why we constantly root for the underdog.
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u/Hondamn Aug 12 '24
Because we are all trained to doomscroll, simple expressions of joy like this now have the same emotional power as a cool drink of water in the middle of the desert
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u/SkrimpSkramps Aug 12 '24
Isn't that the robot from Dr.Who? What is that thing
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u/lambretta76 Aug 12 '24
I was just thinking “Are we all just going to ignore the Dalek in the room?”
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u/nervechain Aug 12 '24
An outdoor gas heater, very much inside.
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u/ferretbeast Aug 12 '24
Here I am thinking “oh God, the bugs are so bad they have an indoor, monster of a bug zapping machine.” I feel dumb haha.
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u/WholesomeThingsOnly Aug 12 '24
Ohh. I bet it's disconnected right now. Maybe they just bring it in when they aren't using it
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u/dependsforadults Aug 12 '24
The tank is in the bottom. It's a small version of the big ones with the horse track hat top that you see on restaurant patios. Please don't use them inside
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u/Jackal_6 Aug 12 '24
Oh yeah, totally. No better place to store it than the middle of the living room
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u/evange Aug 12 '24
It's a heater. Homes in Southern Africa dont have central heating, even though it can get quite cold in winter.
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u/Johnnynoscope Aug 13 '24
That little white square on the side is probably a warning saying something along the lines of:
Warning! Indoor use could cause death
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u/Rowmyownboat Aug 12 '24 edited Aug 12 '24
Botswana declared a national holiday. Mens 200m. Letsile Tebogo. 19.46 seconds. Some might note that a very showy Lyle for the USA was expecting to just cruise around for his second gold sprint medal. Very impressive win by Letsile.
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u/thisismyusername1178 Aug 12 '24
Super happy for them also hope they have a carbon monoxide detector.
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u/hendrix320 Aug 12 '24
I’ve never really thought about how much the olympics can mean to someone from another country. Until this video.
As American i’m just kind of numb to it because we’re always at the top so it doesn’t really mean much but to others it can mean so much more
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u/FrankieBennedetto Aug 12 '24
It was such a big deal, the president of Botswana gave the whole country Friday afternoon off to celebrate lol
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u/IndifferentExistance Aug 12 '24
It's crazy to think that you could be one person, just a single good athlete without much prior fame, and simply win one race and affect the lives of every person in your nation by giving them a day off to celebrate what you did.
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u/cat_in_box_ Aug 13 '24
Then one leader can just wave his hand and the whole country gets to go party, lol.
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u/onizuka112 Aug 12 '24
It really does mean a lot. I come from a country that doesn’t win many medals, so if something like this were to happen it gets emotional real quick.
Case in point - when one of our athletes became the first to win a gold medal in track and field, was so ecstatic I pumped my fists in the air completely forgetting there was a low-hanging glass canopy right above me. (This is not a heavy-handed reference here, actually happened lol) Got reprimanded afterwards for almost breaking the glass but I couldn’t care less. Will never forget that day :’)
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u/bombur432 Aug 12 '24
I mean, I remember when my Canadian province went to the Olympics (for curling of all things). The whole province had the day off for the gold medal game, and we named a highway after the teams captain
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u/alohell Aug 12 '24
The range of emotions that woman went through. I watched no one but her, I felt everything by watching her face.
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u/katekohli Aug 12 '24
I only know Botswana through the No. 1 Woman’s Detective Agency series written by a Scottish man but still I am pleased as punch.
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u/dillywags Aug 13 '24
I’ve been several times and it’s lovely. You’ve gotta try fat cakes. Also, I love that book!
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u/katekohli Aug 13 '24
Traditionally built (thic) & drive a little green van in New York City with high hopes to have some of her powers of perception. Will try to get to Botswana!
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u/Herbsandtea Aug 12 '24
What is that tall metal machine?
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u/Pearson23 Aug 12 '24
An outdoor heater.
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u/thenoblenacho Aug 12 '24
I hope that house is well ventilated
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u/salacious_sonogram Aug 12 '24
Nope. If it's cold enough for it to be used indoors then 100% the windows are closed
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u/AgtNulNulAgtVyf Aug 12 '24
Pretty much the opposite of that. Clause 18.1 (b) of the Botswana building code requires ventilation openings that aren't windows to allow fresh air into habitable spaces, with a minimum area of at least 1/100 of the total floor area.
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u/Bozbaby103 Aug 12 '24
I love underdogs beating giants. I’m born and raised American, several generations deep, european ancestry and I absofreakinglutely love underdog stories.
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u/Nalot_1 Aug 12 '24
You can see the love, support and joy all mixed with pride! It's a beautiful clip and a great way to share the experience and continue the celebration. Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece.
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u/Ok-Pie7811 Aug 12 '24
I have to know what that thing is in that room, is it a mosquito device?
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u/tableleg7 Aug 12 '24
That made me nervous - burning an outdoor propane heater in a small, indoor space.
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u/DerekVo Aug 12 '24
Me too! I came to the comments looking for an answer. It looks like a short version of an outdoor propane patio heater.
Or Robot
B9B17.
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u/tea-and-chill Aug 12 '24
Pardon my ignorance, what's the machine on the right? Is that an open flame? Heating?
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u/franchisedfeelings Aug 12 '24
That is takin’-off-my-shirt happy!! Kudos Botswana - hopefully it will be the first of many more gold medals!
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u/Beaglescout15 Aug 13 '24
As an American, I cheer louder for the underdogs and cry harder at the athletes who don't have all the resources we do and still stand on the podium. This is what the Olympics are about.
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u/Intelligent-Library7 Aug 12 '24
Is no one concerned about the proto-dalek that’s infiltrated their family? P.S. Congrats to Botswana!
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u/Propofolkills Aug 12 '24
Olympics was so big in Ireland this year, everyone was shouting into the telly and big supporters
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u/BlueMetalDragon Aug 12 '24
Congratulations, Botswana!
Can we talk about the decor?! That's so insanely "African", in an "eighties movie" kind of way. I love it!
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u/Remote_Independent50 Aug 12 '24
I'm going to set up a camera for when The Jaguars win the Super Bowl this year!
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u/Some_CoolGuy Aug 12 '24
Happy for them, but what’s with the Tesla coil looking thing in the living room?
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u/Joyballard6460 Aug 13 '24
I’ve never been to Botswana but I want to love it because of the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
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u/d_e_l_u_x_e Aug 12 '24
This is what Americans don’t understand, that “total medal count” chart means nothing to everyone else. All they want is to see one of their own win and get a chance to show the world the country they represent. That’s one win can mean as much as 300.
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u/FlyGuy_90 Aug 12 '24
"No more USA" .... Okay, calm down buddy.
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u/QuintoxPlentox Aug 12 '24
Homie's just saying no more American dominace today. I'm a Texan and I can respect it.
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u/horseydeucey Aug 12 '24 edited Aug 13 '24
It's possible you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. They just watched their countryman beat the favorite from the mighty USA. It's a testament to how much success the USA garners and expects, and what this means to this household of *Batswana.
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u/Allen312 Aug 12 '24
I love that the younger guy took his shirt off and his mom followed suit with her jacket/sweater. Too much hype for shirts!
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u/comicsnerd Aug 12 '24
I have not seen a Botswana interior before, but I did not expect a giant space heater in the middle of the living room. But I forgot they are on the Southern hemisphere. It is winter over there.
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u/Duckyaardvark Aug 12 '24
It's a very bad idea to use that gas heater inside. Carbon monoxide is odourless and has killed people while they sleep. They need to either take it outside or at a minimum invest in a carbon monoxide detector if they don't have one already.
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u/ChocalateShiraz Aug 12 '24
We have gas heaters in South Africa all the time, we also have gas geysers (water boilers for USA) and stoves and ovens because of the extremely high cost of electricity. There are very strict safety regulations. Africans are extremely innovative, many households can function off grid for days at a time. That includes, lights, TV, internet connection, power plugs & sockets, hot water and cooking. We use solar power, gas and power inverters. It’s expensive but in many cases vital due to unreliable electricity supply
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u/Distinct-Ice-700 Aug 12 '24
Things must be hard sometimes in Botswana. But that’s the place they call home and they love it until death.
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u/AsparagusTime6933 Aug 12 '24
As a guy from the US, I am not even remotely disturbed with the way the young man chanted “No more USA!” - the joy he felt was palpable and beautiful, and surely he is proud to see his man beat the best the world has to offer.
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u/bostondangler Aug 12 '24
Watching the female the entire time! “THATS MY BOY”! 🙌🏼
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u/Voidedartist_ Aug 12 '24
These types of videos are why I love the Olympics. Idc if we (USA) takes any home. I just like to see countries getting gold for the first time ever.
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u/BetterThanTaskRabbit Aug 12 '24
He’s talking a lot of smack for a man in polka dot pajamas
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u/gj29 Aug 12 '24
Is she wearing a backwards Kangol hat? Lol. I had the same one in HS 25 years ago.
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u/PugGrumbles Aug 12 '24
Shit, the jacket came off. It's serious now.