Did you see Ilia Malinin’s figure skating competition for the Olympic gold medal on Friday? The “QuadgOd,” as he calls himself, was a sure bet to win the gold. His other performances were spectacular, and he was the odds-on favorite.
I watched WETA’s evening news before turning to NBC to watch the evening Olympic coverage and in the “spoiler warning” learned of his several falls in the final event and his dismal, fifteenth place finish in that event, resulting in an eighth place finish overall, denying him the gold medal that the whole world thought was his for the asking. I was shocked. I had watched most of the figure skating competition and had become a big fan. He is probably one of the greatest figure skaters ever. My initial reaction was sadness. In fact, knowing the outcome I did not stay up to watch the replay of the event. Too painful. Poor guy, I thought, he will carry this with him for the rest of his life. Blowing the opportunity that was supposed to be his. He will always be remembered for this.
Now I know nothing about this guy or his personality. Anyone who gives himself the name “Quadgod” certainly must have a streak of arrogance. Perhaps his comeuppance could bring that down a notch or two. Or maybe he is mature enough to take this in stride, and to realize that he was never a god but only a mere human who was having a bad day and that the guy who did win the gold deserved it. Still, his meltdown in the 2026 Winter Olympics will surely be in his obituary if it appears in The New York Times 50 or 60 years from now.
But isn’t this what makes sports so addictive, and isn’t this a window into the life we all experience, one day at a time? You never know for sure what is going to happen or when you will get your comeuppance. This is the human condition. Also, life is hard. We humans stumble at times and then we dust off and keep trying. We make mistakes. We blow opportunities. We are brought down to size and then pick ourselves up and start over. What other options do we have? If this experience is a learning moment for Ilia resulting in more humility and wisdom, then it has served its purpose.
Those who learn from their mistakes and failures are the better off for it. Those who do not are doomed to repeat them again.
Thank you Joe! Agreed. I think that Olympic fall was a critically important lesson for our time and especially for young people to witness.
I’m thinking of one young man in particular.
For the past four years I’ve been teaching and mentoring a remarkable young man with great potential to do good. He is full of energy and positivity, ambitious, talented, charismatic – for much of his young life he was a competitive high-level gymnast and now is a progressive student leader who wants to change the world. His grandmother survived the Holocaust and one of his goals is to help bring peace to the Middle East. I was just at a conversation he had organized with youth and former and current UN officials organized around the question : »What can you do to be a better future ancestor? » He is putting together a diverse student coalition to address the UN about youth concerns in two months. Needless to say, I am very proud of him and have high hopes that, in terms of being a youth leader and organizer, he might become a little like Joe Howell one day.
However, he has one personality trait that is absent in you and has given me pause as I’ve mentored him. His Achilles heel is that he tends to overconfidence. This can cause him to stumble and gets in his way- and it does not charm the progressive sensitive types he hopes to bring together and lead. He does so much better when he embraces his humanity and is humble. In humility he is far more powerful and convincing.
So I will show him your blog the next time I talk with him. Thank you!