5 Winter Olympians Who Rely On Faith In The Quest For Gold Medals
The Olympics are framed as a celebration of physical excellence, national pride and human perseverance. It’s about, as the former ABC’s Wide World of Sports introduction used to proclaim, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”
Behind the medals and records, many of the iconic moments over the years are tied to personal stories shaped by values and beliefs. For some Olympians, faith and spirituality play a meaningful role in how they train and compete.
Religion can offer athletes a framework for resilience, especially in a world defined by so much pressure and scrutiny. Some Olympians have spoken openly about prayer and rituals as main sources of strength.
Across cultures and traditions, belief has intersected with sport in ways that are both public and profoundly private. At the upcoming Winter Olympics, scheduled to start this Friday in Milan and Cortina, there are a number of athletes who are both religious and use their faith to influence their journeys.
Here are five examples of athletes scheduled to compete over the coming weeks who are outspoken about their faiths:
Photo courtesy of the Israeli Olympic team
Adam “A.J.” Edelman (Israel)
The American-born skeleton and bobsled star, who competes for Israel, has turned his passion for sport into a mission to get the Jewish community to care about it as well. An eight-time Israeli national champion in sliding sports (skeleton and bobsled) who competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Edelman is also the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and the first Orthodox Jewish man to compete in either a summer or winter Olympics.
“When they made that joke in the movie ‘Airplane’ about the Jewish sports stars — a passenger asks the flight attendant for some light reading, and she gives him a small pamphlet entitled ‘Great Jews in Sports’ — they weren’t really addressing the religious Jews,” he said. “They were just addressing Jews. I think a lot of Jews use observance as an excuse. A lot of chess tournaments are held on [the Jewish sabbath], yet we do have quite a few chess players.”
Wikipedia photo
Elana Meyers Taylor (United States)
A fellow bobsledder, Taylor represents the United States. She is also a practicing Christian. But she wasn’t always a bobsledder.
In fact, Taylor started her athletic career as a star softball player as George Washington University’s first recruit. After failing to make the U.S. Olympic Softball team in 2003, she turned her attention to bobsledding.
“God put me here for a specific reason, and I don’t think it’s just to win medals,” she said. “At the end of the day, I’m in this sport to glorify God, so if that means I come in last place, or I win the gold medal, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Wikipedia photo
Paul Schommer (United States)
The American participates in the biathlon – a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting – at the Olympic level. While at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., Schommer’s cross-country skiing coach introduced him to the biathlon, a unique sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
In 2015, Schommer began his pursuit of qualifying for the Olympics. Relying on his relationship with Christ to sustain him, Schommer hopes to carry his faith to the highest pedestal in the sport.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is just the faithfulness of God always coming through,” he said. “Without feeling called and led by God, there would be a good chance I would’ve quit right after I first started the biathlon; I just didn’t really see any success in my future based off the things happening at that time.”
Wikipedia photo
Eileen Gu (China)
A freestyle skier born in the U.S., Gu has competed for China in the halfpipe, slopestyle and big air events since 2019.
At just 18, Gu became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing after winning gold medals in big air and halfpipe, and a silver medal in slopestyle, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. That same year, she publicly stated that she had become a Buddhist.
“I recently converted to Buddhism. … I’m working on letting go of a sense of self … rather than fear of failure,” she said.
IOC photo
Arif Khan (India)
The Alpine skier, who hails from the Indian-administered side of Kashmir, represented India at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the slalom and giant slalom events.
Born into a family involved in the ski business, Khan began skiing at age four. He is also a Muslim hailing from a Hindu-majority nation. The political situation back home, he said, has been a concern for him.
“If something is going on that's disturbing at home, it’s definitely on my mind. But I want to succeed so that I can also have an impact on Kashmiri youth, to inspire them toward their own goals,” he said. “This has always been my dream.”
Clemente Lisi serves as executive editor at Religion Unplugged.