Olympic Legend Apolo Ohno's Advice for Handling Loss

When everything you've trained for collapses in seconds, what do you do next?

Apolo Ohno knows that feeling intimately. The eight-time Olympic medalist competed in short track speed skating, where a rival's last-second crash can erase years of preparation in an instant. At Milano Cortina 2026, he shared the mental strategy that carried him through heartbreak and continues to guide him today.

The first step, Ohno says, is the hardest: surrender to the outcome. For elite athletes wired to control everything, accepting defeat feels impossible. But fighting reality only extends the pain.

"I think the No. 1 most important thing is that there is a surrender to the outcome that has to occur," he explained. Athletes face a choice after devastating losses: let the pain consume them, or reset their minds and search for meaning in the wreckage.

Ohno's solution involves what he calls "cleaning the slate." That might mean training through the emotions, getting outside for sunshine, or simply practicing positive self-talk. The world's best athletes, he notes, learn to compartmentalize those feelings or transform them into motivation.

"If I allowed every single race in my life that did not go my way, I would be a mess," he joked.

The second step centers on a powerful visual metaphor: turning the page. Every setback is just a page, sometimes a chapter, but never the entire story. The lessons stay etched behind us, but the next page is blank and ready for new writing.

"You are the same person, you have the same attributes, you have the same fire," Ohno said. By turning that page, athletes begin crafting the story they actually want to live out.

Why This Inspires

Ohno's wisdom reaches far beyond sports. Life delivers unfair moments to everyone: relationships end, financial security vanishes, illness strikes without warning. His philosophy offers a roadmap for anyone facing unexpected hardship.

The decorated Olympian has practiced what he preaches. After retiring, he faced the challenge of redefining himself beyond speed skating. No more coaches, training schedules, or roaring fans. He had to turn the page again.

Now he thrives through public speaking, philanthropy, and running a nutritional supplement business. The attributes that made him an Olympic champion resilience, adaptability, grit, mindfulness became the foundation for entirely new chapters.

"That athlete has to, again, turn the page and begin anew," he said. The beautiful part is recognizing that being an Olympic champion isn't who they are; it's what they learned getting there.

Your next page is waiting, and only you hold the pen.