The Comeback: Mia Gyau

Soccer means so much to me because I have played for so long and it has provided me with opportunities that I would never have even thought of having if I didn’t play. Soccer has taught me that talent is never enough and that you have to work hard in order to get what you want. It’s also taught how to be a resilient and gritty person while also staying optimistic 

Before coming to Duke I never had any notable obstacles I think.  During my freshman year I had to adjust to not being a consistent starter which was different for me coming out of high school, but that was a really small obstacle in my first year. The next three years I struggled with injuries. I tore my acl/mcl sophomore year, returned the following year and tore my right Achilles, recovered from that and then my senior year, I tore my left Achilles.

I would want people to know that even though my journey didn’t go as I had thought it would for 3 years, being around soccer and having the teammates and support staff that I did, made me feel really special and never allowed my love for soccer to lessen. Also I’d want people to know that I am thankful for all of the obstacles that I’ve faced because I am a stronger and more persistent athlete now and I’ll know how to better handle adversity In the future

I would tell my younger self to rest more often and take advantage of breaks. Throughout my college career and even before, I really didn’t let my body recover the way that it needed to after a long season or a series of hard games. I’d train a lot in the summers before preseason and sometimes I think that that could explain some of my injuries and why they occurred so early in the season. 

I think that we don’t realize how much younger kids look up to us and how much respect older people have for us as college athletes. I think that we should be mindful of how much influence we have and use our platforms to talk about things that matter to us.