Together for a Shared Future -Chloe Kim

¨Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter.¨ Faster. Higher. Stronger. Together. These are the words that make up the motto of the Olympics, originally penned by the Dominican priest Henri Didon in 1881. The athletes of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, no matter if they are figure skaters or snowboarders, are all reaching for greater heights in this competition. They hope not only to win a medal but to compete with the best of the world while being committed to putting 110% of their efforts into their sport.

In both the men’s speedskating and free skating events in the Olympics, many triumphs and also spectacular attempts were made this year. For instance, Donovan Carrillo became the first Mexican to advance to the free skate in all of Winter Olympic history. The 22-year-old faced personal challenges getting to the Olympics from the beginning. Starting off when he was 8 years old, his family struggled to pay for his lessons and he was left with no choice but to practice at a shopping center rink, unlike many other athletes who practice at private rink facilities reserved only for them. However, his dedication led to the highest placement by any Mexican skater at the World Championships, qualifying him to compete in the Beijing Olympics and make his mark on the record books.

Nathan Chen is another skater who is currently enjoying the efforts he has made since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He improved from coming in fifth overall in 2018 to winning the gold medal this time around. Chen stunned everyone with his flawless performances in both portions of the skating events, executing each jump and step sequence eloquently and cleanly.

However, the most spotlighted figure skater in the media these days did not place on the podium but engraved himself in all of our hearts. Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time reigning Olympic champion, winning gold at the previous 2014 Sochi and 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, was one of the favorites to win the gold this time around along with Nathan Chen.

Instead to focusing his attention towards winning a medal at this year’s 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Hanyu has said he is focused on a specific goal. According to Eurosport UK, Hanyu expressed his desire above all else to accomplish “a goal that I just have to achieve for me to go higher at the Olympics, (the 4A) is something that I absolutely feel I need.”

Hanyu attempted a quad axel (a figure skating jump that requires a forward takeoff and four and a half rotations in the air) in the men’s free skate program. Although Hanyu failed to land a clean quad axel, he inspired everyone with his work ethic and his challenge to achieve and strive for something higher that no one has done before, raising the bar for his fellow peers and future generations of skaters.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics was a representation of human perseverance against major obstacles. Although every single athlete was undoubtedly affected by the pandemic, the athletes fought to stay focused and dedicated to their sport. Gold, silver, bronze, or none; the Winter Olympic athletes of 2022 have worked against changes in their training grounds, the cancellation of numerous international competitions, and many more hurdles in their path in order to simply compete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.