Listen to the full interview Pursuing Excellence and How to Reinvent Yourself with Apolo Ohno

A Moment of Glory

Apolo Ohno was only 28 when he decided to retire. He calls this his ‘first great divorce’. 

As a celebrated short-track speed skater, Apolo had achieved remarkable success, earning two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals across three Olympics. Among them, his most cherished is the silver he won at Salt Lake in 2002. The story behind it makes the medal special.

A lot was at stake at this Olympics. The US had just been through the most devastating terror attack. The nation was described as vulnerable and subjected to polarizing opinions. Millions were eyeing an American reaction. But, for a 19-year-old Apolo, the prestige of that year’s games didn’t initially seem extraordinary. 

As he went into the final race, everyone expected him to win. In a fraction of a second, his hopes were dashed as he and a group of skaters crashed into each other. Apolo suffered an injury, but he also got back on his feet and completed the race to win the silver medal. And yet, as he waited for treatment for his injury, he felt the pain and frustration of having lost the gold medal because of something beyond his control.

Apolo’s physiotherapist walked in, looking incredibly happy. He told Apolo that it was the best race he’d ever witnessed. This left Apolo confused — he had not come first. The physiotherapist then asks him to look around at the crowd’s energy. They were celebrating his silver.

That day, when Apolo walked out for the awards ceremony, he reflected on the medal he’d won as a symbol of the state that America was in at the time:

You think you’re going to win, that you’re number one…and deserving of a particular result that you feel is yours and no one else’s. Then something happens that is out of your control. You’re knocked down. But your true character and build is what happens next.

Apolo, much like the nation, was determined to overcome adversity. He was not going to stay down. He would get better at his game.

Reinventing Yourself Through Hard Pivots

The same determination resurfaced when he faced the ‘first great divorce’.

In 2010, after retiring, Apolo knew that he had to start looking for passions that could excite him just as the Olympics did. It wasn’t easy navigating this track. He had devoted more than half his life to a sport that had suddenly abandoned him for, in Apolo’s words, a younger suitor. He feared he might never discover any other pursuit that would be, for him, as compelling.

But this hard pivot in life pushed him to reinvent himself. Apolo began his quest for lifelong learning. He started traveling around the world, breaking free from the bubble that consisted solely of him and his sport. Through his journeys and conversations with people, he gained valuable perspectives on the commonalities and differences that define humanity. Today, Apolo is a bestselling author and speaker.

The Quest for Purpose

The hard pivots in Apolo’s life have given him opportunities to begin again. His ability to treat them as points of reinvention and innovation proved to be a remarkably powerful skill.

The unexpected shifts or challenges in our journey can bring discomfort or disappointment. But these moments offer us a chance, like with Apolo, to grow in new ways, look for new opportunities, and reinvent ourselves. Mentora helps organizations navigate these winds of change by offering training and consulting to activate purpose at all levels, nurture changemakers across ranks, and keep people inspired in both epic and everyday moments to perform their best.