Olympian Cat Osterman is pitching her best advice to the next generation of softball stars.
Osterman may not have taken the gold medal this time around, but she's hopeful that someday a little girl can accomplish what she didn't this year—as long as they dream big and persevere.
The U.S. softball team lost 2-0 to Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, earning them a silver medal on July 27. After the game, Osterman was asked what she would say to little girls watching at home.
"The biggest thing is you're not going to win every game. You're not going to win every pitch. You're not going to win every at bat," she told reporters through tears. "You have to be able to figure out how you're going to bounce back with it or how you're just going to move forward with it."
The 38-year-old pitcher continued, "Obviously, it's a heartbreak that we're coming home not with the gold, but at the same time, you look at it, you have a silver medal. How many people would give for that?"
Osterman gave her advice to kids striving to follow in her footsteps: "Learn from it, but also accept where you are in the present moment, and this team is going to do that. But to all the little girls, keep dreaming the dream."
She is now a three-time Olympic medalist, having previously earned gold at the 2004 Athens Games and silver at the 2008 Beijing Games. Osterman is also a three-time National Player of the Year and four-time All-American.
She shared a tearful selfie on her Instagram on Tuesday, as she held up her silver medal. "Not the outcome we wanted, but damn I'm proud of the fight, passion belief and effort this team put into every single pitch of these Olympic Games," the Houston native wrote. "If someone asked would I do it again knowing the outcome, damn right I would. It has been worth every sacrifice, every tear, every rep."
Osterman said she's leaving USA softball "with an even bigger family" after giving "my all to this journey." She concluded by writing, "It's been an honor to wear the Red, White & Blue. I'm forever indebted."
Watch her inspiring speech here and see more memorable moments from Tokyo below.
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