Now what? The question that follows triumph and tragedy | Connor Fields | TEDxLasVegas

Quick Overview

Connor Fields recounts the pivotal moment after his career-defining BMX racing accident, detailing how the question "Now what?" shifted his focus from achieving Olympic glory to prioritizing recovery, which involved intense physical and mental rehabilitation to regain basic functions like walking and speaking, ultimately redefining success outside of competitive racing.

Key Points: Fields competed in thousands of BMX races and aimed to win a gold medal at the Olympics, including the 2016 Rio Games where he won the USA's first-ever gold in the sport. He suffered a severe accident during the 2016 Olympics, resulting in broken ribs, torn ligaments, a torn bicep, and a traumatic brain injury affecting four parts of his brain. The initial fear after the accident was whether he would survive, followed by the question of whether he would remember who he was. His recovery involved 18 months of intense rehabilitation focused on regaining basic functions, such as learning to walk, drive, and speak properly. He contrasted his previous life goal (winning a gold medal) with the immediate post-accident goal of survival and recovery. The small, daily decisions made during recovery—concerning exercise, diet, and rest—ultimately shaped his future reality and recovery outcomes. He concluded by emphasizing that the question following triumph or tragedy is always, "Now what?"—how do we serve others and continue learning?

Context: Connor Fields, an elite BMX racer who achieved his childhood dream by winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shares his story at TEDxLasVegas about the profound life shift that occurred following a devastating crash. The narrative centers on the period immediately after the accident, the severe injuries sustained, and the challenging, day-by-day process of recovery that forced him to re-evaluate his definition of success.

Detailed Analysis

Connor Fields opens by stating he competed in thousands of BMX races, culminating in his dream of winning Olympic gold, which he achieved at the 2016 Rio Olympics in BMX racing, the first gold for the US in that sport. He recounts finding a flyer at age seven that declared, "And 1 day, be Olympic Champion," written in Sharpie on the wall of his parents' house. This goal dictated every decision for the next four years. However, after winning the gold, he immediately crashed, suffering broken ribs, torn ligaments, a torn bicep, and a traumatic brain injury affecting four areas of his brain, including the frontal and parietal lobes and the corpus callosum stem. Lying on the track, his initial fear was survival, followed by the fear of memory loss. His recovery took 18 months and involved intensive rehabilitation to relearn walking, driving, and speaking. He emphasizes that every small daily decision—regarding exercise, nutrition, and rest—mattered immensely during this period, shaping his reality. He contrasts the singular focus on winning with the continuous, deliberate choices required for recovery. The core message is that after any major life event, triumph or tragedy, the essential question remains: "Now what?"—how do you continue to serve others and better yourself?