CBC's Andrew Chang in Rio: From me to you

I haven't cheered for a single Canadian athlete while in Rio.Not outwardly, that is.

It's not that I don't want to because I do, desperately.

When I see Stittsville, Ontario's Erica Wiebe look her competitor in the eye, I imagine her thinking: "I may or may not be better than you; but I'm better today," and it makes my heart want to explode out of my chest.

• CBC'sAndrew Chang shares his Rio experiences

Or when I see Richmond, B.C.'s Evan Dunfee fight, and fight, and fight his way to the finish line of the 50 kilometreracewalk only to be bumped off-stride by Japan's Hirooki Arai to finish 4th.I want to leap out of my chair, cursing how unfair life can be.

But no, the simple reality is that cheering is not my job. My job is to report and tell stories.

I leave cheering to the fans in the stadium,the parents, the grandparents, and in many cases, the children of Olympians.

Theyjump, cringe, laugh, cry,wish and hope and dream right alongside them over every hurdle, through every lap, with every point, and in every routine.

No, I can't cheer.But I can congratulate, so here goes:

Congratulations Penny Oleksiak, for not being satisfied simply with participation, but for smashing all expectations and inspiring a legion of Canadian swimmers behind you.

Congratulations Rosie MacLennan, for overcoming injury, for flag-bearing the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders, and for performing like your life depended on it.

Congratulations Andre De Grasse, for not just racing with the best, but for embodying it too.

But also congratulations to Joseph Schooling from Singapore, who not only grew up idolising the greatest swimmer of all time butbeat him, winning his country's first-ever gold medal at an Olympic games.

Congratulations to Dipa Karmakar, who at 23 years of age became India's first female gymnast ever to compete at the Olympics.

She didn't win a medal, but she won the hearts of a billion people, and did it with a vault considered so difficult,even its inventor only managed to land it standing up just once in her career.

And congratulations to Etimoni Timuanifromthe tiny island nation of Tuvalu the one and only athlete from that country to qualify for the Olympics.

He was not a standout in his race he tied for last but Tuvalu's assistant secretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports said, "he's one of the best athletes in the countryand we can only find one or two. We are quite poor here, that's why he was selected. He was definitely one of the best."

So congratulations to all who overcame barriers, to all who worked tirelessly for their moment, and yes even to those who fell far short.

I won't cheer for you.But believe me when I say, it was an honour to watch.

Thank you.