Canadian Olympic Skateboarder Praises Christ in Face of Failure
By Movieguide® Contributor
Teenage Canadian Olympic skateboarder Cordano Russell, shouted “Jesus is King!” on live TV before the Olympic Men’s Street Skateboarding competition July 29.
The enthusiastic athlete gives glory to God in all competitions, even when he fails.
“I find that getting back up from failure, getting back up in school, especially school, and then it’s just evident in every area of my life,” he said. “I definitely thank the Lord for skateboarding because it’s truly amazing.”
Russell believes that when he falls, it helps build perseverance.
“Paul Rodriguez put it this way: he said, you’re going to fall way more than you will land a trick. And that’s literal in skateboarding. You’re going to fall on that ground so much,” the 6’4″ skater said.
“But honestly, it creates in yourself this determination, this grittiness, this ability to withstand failure while still trying to go through and accomplish your goal,” he said.
Russell’s strong identity in Christ gives him confidence.
“Honestly, it empowers me,” Russell said of his faith. “I know where my true identity is, and that is in the Lord. So, I wanted to use my time, talents and treasures and ultimately be able to inspire others through that, through my faith, through who I am.”
“Russell finished seventh overall in the Men’s Street Skateboarding competition on July 29 after falling twice, though he managed to place third-best scores in trick,” the Christian Post reported.
He didn’t win at the Olympics this year, but he’s grateful that he got to participate.
“What an amazing journey it has been from my debut in Rome till now,” he posted on Instagram on July 30. “I will never forget these wonderful moments in Paris. Thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish this milestone. The biggest thank you goes to my Heavenly Father. ‘Humble in victory and gracious in defeat.'”
Cordano’s faith in Christ isn’t the only thing that makes him stand out.
The Olympics website reported, “Where his peers have joints covered in fabric as an extra layer of protection from the ever-unforgiving concrete floor, Russell wears a tank top and shorts. Where they wear caps, he chooses a sweatband.”
He’s also built like a football player at 6’4″ and 230 pounds — a rare physique to see on a skateboard.
He did play football in high school, but he chose to pursue skateboarding.
“When I was weighing, should I pursue football or pursue skateboarding, I was like, skateboarding is my life. That’s my passion, I love this. During that time, I felt like I was really building up my fire for skateboarding again,” he said.
“Because there are people on the football field who’ve been doing it just as long as I’ve been skateboarding, and I was like, I’d rather take a fall on a skateboard than be running for 200 plays and battling it out,” he continued.
Russell picked up skateboarding when he found an abandoned board in some shrubbery as a young boy.
“It was kind of like a pinnacle moment for me,” Russell said. “I found my first board inside of a bush. And I stepped on it. It was beat up. And I stepped on it, hit my head, and I was like, ‘Let’s go!’ Like, that’s what I want to do.”
Though Russell lived most of his life in the U.S., he always wanted to represent his birthplace in the Olympics.
“I thought if I ever have an opportunity to ever go to the Olympics, I want to represent the motherland [Canada] which is literally my mother’s land,” he explained. “The barriers to entry for Canada compared to the U.S. team was a lot more applicable to my situation.”
Movieguide® reported on another Christian Olympic skater last week:
Brazilian street skateboarder Rayssa Leal pointed fans to God after she took home the bronze medal in the women’s street skateboarding event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When the cameras were on her, the athlete used American Sign Language to sign John 14:6: “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
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