The Olympic Winter Games took place between Feb. 6 to Feb. 22 and included events like figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and more. Three editors of The Oracle share their experiences watching the Olympic Winter Games this year.
EVELYN JUNIA
Turning on the TV, I was hesitant at first to watch the Olympics when an episode of The Pitt was on, but I was captivated by Men’s Figure Skating. The raw emotion depicted on their faces coupled with their lutzs, salchows, and axels—different figure skating jumps—kept my eyes glued to the TV as their programs made an imprint.
Upon looking further into figure skating as a sport, I learned that performing a quadruple axel in competition has been impossible for nearly 40 years, but Ilia Malinin, representing Team U.S.A., has mastered this trick and has since earned his title as the “Quad God,” according to The New York Times.
Although Malinin pushed boundaries in figure skating, he finished eighth instead of getting the gold medal he was favored to win. Watching Malinin fall in real time was painful, and seeing the look on his face was even more heartbreaking. Malinin said his negative thoughts consumed his mind, but he will still compete in the World Championship in Prague this March—and when I tune in to watch his performances, I hope to be in awe with his resilience and ability to keep pushing forward.
MADY YAP
I am not a sports buff, but something about the Winter Olympics always reels me in.
There is something inspiring about seeing athletes compete not just for themselves, but for their country. Watching the Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe event, I found myself leaning closer to the screen as each athlete launched into the air, spinning high above the icy walls of the pipe before landing with a sharp spray of snow. While the event stood out in a multitude of ways, what really made it special for me was the fact that the entire podium was made up of Asian athletes, including American Korean snowboarder Chloe Kim, who earned a silver medal.
Kim’s father made significant sacrifices to support her dream, something that felt familiar to me as the child of immigrants who have done the same so I can pursue my own goals.
Seeing her on the Olympic podium was meaningful, showing how the Olympics are a true melting pot of cultures. While I don’t love sitting down to watch sports, the representation of athletes from all over the world never fails to make me feel uplifted.
AMANI SAUDYE
The Olympic Games make me feel as though I have red, white, and blue coursing through my veins—and this year was no different.
The Blade Angels, my favorite trio in the world right now, sound like the name of a cliché punk-rock band, but they are a group of the most elite figure skaters in the world today. Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito are the figure skaters representing Team USA in the individual women’s competition.
In the women’s short program, Glenn devastatingly failed to land her jump, placing her score in 13th. One missed jump, and she landed in last place. After years and years of training and hard work, it’s suddenly all over. But, during her exhibition glass skate, she brushed herself off and delivered an incredible performance.
Liu, at the 2022 Olympics, placed sixth and then retired at the age of sixteen. Now, she’s back and has done revolutionary things to the sport, including bringing back the joy and art of skating—and she won gold.
Figure skating is a tale of resilience, of fall from gravity defying jump and getting back up again.
