When Gods Fail

Even if you’re not glued to the Olympics, you undoubtedly have heard that U.S. figure skater, Ilia Malinin—better known as the Quad God, did not complete the required elements in his free skate program. The gold medal favorite dropped to eighth place, a shock to fans.

Malinin blamed the U.S. team for not sending him to the 2022 Beijing Olympics for experience. We thought that was a career-ender. But with cool-down time and coaching, he course-corrected. Malinin then admitted he wasn’t mentally prepared for the “big show.”

What was at stake? Malinin and his coach had launched a clothing line called “Quad God.” There were also millions of dollars of endorsements and tour dates that were guaranteed— but only if he medaled. A perfect picture requires a single crack to collapse. And when Malinin fell twice, he simply couldn’t adapt his choreography to make up the lost points.

Snowboard Gold Medalist Shaun White was asked how he handled Olympic pressure. He said that when training, he repeated his workout routine, the songs he listened to, and even what he ate exactly the same way. This allowed White to focus on the joy of realizing his dream.

You’ve no doubt had spills, setbacks and failures like White and Malinin. Take responsibility and be gracious. Then consider hiring a performance therapist and/or keep improving your skills to successfully perform when it’s your turn in the spotlight. Speaking, skating and snowboarding are high risk, but all have awesome rewards, dude.