'Jesus is King': Teen Canadian Olympic skateboarder glorifies God before competition, speaks of failure
A teenage Canadian Olympic skateboarder gave glory to God shortly before competing in the sport at the Olympics in Paris earlier this week and previously spoke about overcoming failure.
Cordano Russell, 19, who was born in London, Ontario, shouted "Jesus is King!" as he was introduced before the Men’s Street Skateboarding competition on July 29.
The sport requires participants to skate on a "street-like" course that includes stairs, handrails and benches, meant to resemble the environments where skateboarding originated, according to ESPN.
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Canadian Olympic Skateboarder, Cordano Russell said “Jesus is King!” live on television ????????#Olympicspic.twitter.com/Wkz1f2CpGF
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 1, 2024
Russell, who stands 6'3" and weighs 230 pounds, was born in Canada but moved with his family to his father's hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, when he was 4 years old.
Russell links the beginning of his skateboarding career to his faith, according to a profile of him on the Paris Olympics website.
Russell said he was a young boy when he picked up the sport after finding a weathered skateboard in a bush.
"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."
Russell suggested God had a hand in him stumbling onto the skateboard.
"Honestly, I feel like it was truly divine," he said. "Like, out of all of the things that I could have found, a skateboard in the Midwest. In St. Louis, Missouri. It's not a big skate scene out there like in Chicago or New York, you know? I'm like on the East Coast side in St. Louis, Missouri. I feel like it was truly destined for me to be a skateboarder."
Russell convinced his family to move to the skateboarding Mecca of Carlsbad, California, when he was 8 years old, allowing him to take his sport to the next level and learn from serious skateboarders. He also played football in school, but later gave that up to focus on skateboarding.
Even though he grew up mostly in the United States, Russell said he wanted to represent his birthplace of Canada 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 said. "The barriers to entry for Canada compared to the U.S. team was a lot more applicable to my situation."
In his profile on the Olympics website, Russell was quoted explaining how his identity is found in the Lord.
"Honestly, it empowers me," he 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 also noted that skateboarding has taught him that failure is a part of life and teaches 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. 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.
“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 added. "I definitely thank the Lord for skateboarding because it's truly amazing."
According to CTV News, 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.
Despite not winning at the Olympics this week, Russell expressed gratitude to God in an Instagram post.
"What an amazing journey it has been from my debut in Rome till now," he posted along with some pictures. "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.'"
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
