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This year’s Olympics were marked by a gradual revision of the machoist approach to sports. The American gymnast Simone Biles, one of the competition leaders, refused to perform in the individual all-around competition, citing her mental health problems: due to stress, the woman started “feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.” The British diver Tom Daley became a media star thanks to his moving hobby: the athlete knitted several sweaters while he was sitting in the stands during competitions. Sports is a purely human activity, so the human being with all their emotions and weaknesses must remain more valuable than any records. But what if medals and championships can, in turn, become a personal saving grace for a human being in a difficult period of life?

Gwendolyn holds three world titles in weightlifting. She is now in her 60s and is battling cancer of the salivary glands. Is it time to take a step back from her ambitions and focus on her health? Gwendolyn has something different in mind: to become world champion once again. Supported by her family and her devoted coach, she continues training.

Ruth Kaaserer, the director of Gwendolyn, and the film critic Anna Datsiuk discuss what it means to “be a strong person,” talk about searching for one’s own sources of inspiration during difficult moments in life, about ambition and sacrifice, about victories and losses.