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43-year-old mother of 4 just qualified for the U.S. Olympic diving qualifying finals

KPRC 2/YouTube, Laura Wilkinson/Instagram

Laura Wilkinson was first woman to have won three major diving world titles, including the Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. She was 22 then. Now she's 43, a mother of four, and 13 years post-retirement—and she just qualified for this weekend's women's platform finals in the U.S. Olympic trials.

"I never thought I would get to come back and dive again after I retired 13 years ago," she told NBC Sports. "So this is really a gift, every dive is a gift. I love doing it and this is really special."

When Wilkinson took home the gold from the Sydney Olympics, she was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in platform diving in 36 years. No U.S. woman has medaled in the Olympic sport since then. Against all odds, Wilkinson is looking for another medal shot in what will be her fourth Olympic games, if she makes the team.

Wilkinson explained on TODAY, "When you feel called to do something and you're passionate about it, you just want to be all in. It's the drive, it's the love, and I love that my kids get to watch me do this, not just by telling them how to live their lives. But they're seeing me, the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to actually get there."

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Wilkinson underwent surgery on her spine in 2018, a procedure that has enabled her to return to the sport that she loves.

"I'm kind of just surprised I'm doing it, honestly," Wilkinson told TODAY. "When I retired at 30 I was old back then, so this whole journey has just been a crazy, fun road."

At 43, Wilkinson is not ancient by any means, but competitive physical sports are a young person's game. Even athletes in their 30s are considered past their prime, so even qualifying for Olympic trial finals is an impressive feat.

"It's never going to be an easy road," Wilkinson said, "but that's what makes the journey worth it. When you get to the other side, whether you achieve all your goals and your dreams or you don't, going through all of that, it refines you as a person, it's walking through that fire, and you become better in that process."

Dara Torres made Olympic history in 2008, winning three silver medals in swimming at age 41. The oldest Olympic gold medalist ever was Sweden's Oscar Swahn, who took home the gold medal in shooting at age 64, and still competed in the Olympics at age 72.

While aging inarguably makes physical competition harder, athletes like Wilkinson prove that you don't have to stop competing just because you reach a certain date on a calendar. Congrats and kudos to her for chasing her Olympic dreams for the fourth time, and for showing the world what's possible with dedication, perseverance, and support.

Watch her interview with Houston's KCRP 2 the day before she qualified for the finals, which take place on Sunday evening.

Diver Laura Wilkinson ready to go for goldwww.youtube.com

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The one competition that no one signed up for, but everyone is in

True

If you've ever felt as if life is one big beauty pageant you somehow wandered into, you wouldn't be wrong. It often seems as if society values a woman's looks more than it values her intelligence and ability. A 2017 Pew Research center poll on gender differences found that physical attractiveness was the top trait mentioned when asked what society values most in women. 35% of respondents said that beauty was the top quality for a woman to possess.

The constant pressure to fit into an arbitrary beauty standard is bad on its own, however many women also find themselves competing against each other, which is exacerbated by social media. It puts us in an unhealthy spot where we begin comparing ourselves to other women. However, the women we're comparing ourselves to are also comparing themselves to other women.

Simone Biles, the world's most decorated gymnast; LiuXiang, world-record holder swimmer; Ishikawa Kasumi, table tennis player and two-time Olympic medalist; Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo, badminton duo and Olympic gold medalists; Mahina Maeda, surfer; and Hinotori Nippon, Japan's volleyball team will all be competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - but they won't be competing with each other when it comes to their looks. These powerful athletes recently teamed up with global prestige skincare brand SK-II to take the competition out of beauty, sending the message that beauty is #NOCOMPETITION.

Beauty is #NOCOMPETITION. For #Tokyo2020 @Olympics, I'm proud to partner with @SKII_US to stand up to toxic competitions in beauty with these amazing athletes. Let's not make beauty a competition that dictates how we look, act, feel. #skiipartner https://t.co/2ao5dEjtKW pic.twitter.com/pbAyK0eXRC
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) February 12, 2020

SK-II unveiled the #NOCOMPETITION campaign at the 2020 MAKERS Conference. "In today's society, if you want to be considered beautiful, you would have to look, act and feel a certain way. For example, on social media, to be beautiful is to have a certain type of physique, behave a certain way and portray to the world how happy and carefree you're feeling. More and more girls curate these 'perfect' social media profiles thinking this is the only way to be beautiful," Delphine Buttin, Global SK-II Olympic Games Program Leader, said. "But there should be no competing standards on how someone should look feel and act."

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In a post to her Instagram account, Biles shared: "I've learned to put on a strong front and let most of it slide. But I'd be lying if I told you that what people say about my arms, my legs, my body ... of how I look like in a dress, leotard, bathing suit or even in casual pants hasn't gotten me down at times."

SK-II hopes that the #NOCOMPETITION campaign sparks conversations and inspires women to eschew toxic competitions when it comes to our beauty standards. "These toxic competitions dictate how we should look, feel and act, creating pressure that holds us back in our daily lives," SK-II said in a release. "It is the one competition that no one signed up for, but still everyone ends up in."

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As part of SK-II's ongoing platform to #CHANGEDESTINY, they have declared beauty is #NOCOMPETITION. The heart of the SK-II brand philosophy celebrates how destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. Inspired by the stories of women from around the world, #CHANGEDESTINY sheds light on the pressures they have and the universal 'box' they are put in to be perfect in society's eyes. Award-winning #CHANGEDESTINY campaigns include 2016's "Marriage Market Takeover" that put a spotlight on the labels of "Sheng Nu" or "Leftover Women" in China, 2017's "The Expiry Date," 2018's "Meet Me Halfway," and 2019's "Timelines," a docu-series in partnership with Katie Couric about the evolving and controversial topic of marriage pressure and societal expectations women face globally.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let's stop competing so we can start winning.

To find out more about #NOCOMPETITION and learn how you can support and lend your voice to the cause, please visit nocompetition.sk-ii.com

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Arielle Estoria shares her 10 self-care tips to find joy during quarantine. ›

Playing youth sports is one of the best things about being a kid.

It's about making new friends, getting sweaty, and living your best life learning a game or activity you love. It's low-stakes fun that can build confidence, teach sportsmanship, and encourage teamwork.

High school girls play against middle school boys in a game of basketball in Newtok, Alaska. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

But there's something that can take the fun out of youth sports: pushy parents.

Every parent wants their kid to do well and enjoy themselves, but the line between being a fan and being a fanatic is easy for anyone to cross.

In this video from I Love To Watch You Play, real youth athletes shared how they feel when their parents are hard on them or try to coach from the stands.

They may tense up...

All GIFs via ilovetowatchyouplay.com/YouTube.

... or get embarrassed ...

and feel the kind of stress no kid should.

While the enthusiasm often comes from a loving place, parents pushing their kids to be better, faster, and stronger could make their kids lose interest entirely. In fact, 70% of kids quit sports by age 13 because it's not enjoyable or fun anymore, The Washington Post reports.

"We have to ensure in our society that we don't forget that we're still working with young kids," Anthony Lipani, a former high school football coach told the Democrat & Chronicle. "I think lines are blurred at times because of the competition."

Here are some ideas from young athletes for what to say and do instead.

There's no shame in being excited and enthusiastic, but nonverbal affirmations can go a long way too.

The same goes for after the game, win or lose. Show them you care and love them no matter what.

There's nothing wrong with encouragement, but remember, it's supposed to be a hobby, not their profession. If you feel yourself getting stressed, take a beat and remember what a joy it is to watch your child do something they love.

Because at the end of the day, it really is only a game.

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U of Idaho filled in for Yale pep band at NCAA tournament - Upworthy ›

In the annals of badass retorts to men who tell women to smile, Simon Biles pretty much scored a perfect 10.

After a performance on "Dancing With the Stars," Biles faced off with judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who offered the gymnast some praise, along with some constructive criticism. Biles nodded politely through the critique.

It wasn't enough for host Tom Bergeron, who apparently preferred Biles perform a little more happiness, despite being a professional competitor trying to ... win a competition.

"I was waiting for you to smile at some of the compliments," host Tom Bergeron said. "You didn't."

"Smiling doesn't win you gold medals," Biles replied.

An artist was commissioned to create an interpretive rendering of the moment:

Here's the thing: The "Dancing With the Stars" host picked the wrong champion to chastise. Simone Biles smiles all the damn time — when she damn well wants to.

Here she is, choosing to smile, at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

Photo by Jewel Samad/Getty Images.

Here she is freely smiling while destroying an entire world's worth of competition at the 2016 Olympics.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images.

Here she is smiling — of her own free will — while performing on "Dancing With the Stars" about 40 seconds before Bergeron asked her why she wasn't smiling.

GIF via "Dancing With the Stars"/ABC.

Would you smile while someone was telling you your dancing is a little too robotic? I doubt it.

Furthermore, as Simone herself said, faking "joy" has nothing to do with her ability to kick ass.

Sure, she might pop a grin while mowing down competition in pretty much any arena of her choosing. But the smile is really just an accessory.

Most importantly, it's an accessory for her, and not for anyone else.

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People love Simone Biles helping fix her teammate's hair - Upworthy ›

'I'm doing it to prove that at 105 years old, you can still ride a bike.'

Although he loved cycling, Robert Marchand stopped participating in the sport when he was just 22 years old.

His coach told him that, because of his small stature, Marchand would never become a cycling champion, CNN reported. So, Marchand figured, what's the point?

Marchand, who was born in France in 1911, went on to do other exciting things with his life after locking his bike away all those years ago. But his passion for cycling never truly subsided.