The Winter Olympics led to the creation of many new stories in the world of figure skating. Many of them carried over into the ongoing World Championship, in some cases becoming the, so common in sport, redemption narratives. Repeated over and over, they have cemented themselves in the event’s coverage. What effect could they have on the skaters?
Many names could be mentioned in the conversation regarding redemption narratives, but the two most commonly heard are Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin. Both of them were predicted to go home with an Olympic medal, but neither managed to do so.
Glenn saw her chances of a medal soaring away after her short program, the first of the two women’s skating events. She wasn’t able to execute her planned triple loop jump, instead only completing a double. Since skaters are required to perform certain elements during their program, a triple jump being one of them, she received no points for the skill. Although her free skate was both technically great and visually beautiful, it was not enough to make up for the points deficit.
Malinin faced an opposite situation. His short program put him in the lead of the competition and on track for Olympic gold. It was in the free skate that problems began. The skater missed his famed quadruple Axel and fell twice during the routine. The mistakes cost him enough points to crush the dreams of an Olympic medal, with his final position being an unsatisfactory P8.
Both Glenn and Malinin were clearly unhappy with their final positions, the seeds were sown for stories of redemption. The fans and the media were quick to claim that the two will surely put their all into disenchanting the season on Championship ice. Therefore, all the stories related to them between the Olympics and the World Championships focused on what they needed to do to prove that they were still skaters to look out for.
Is it healthy for them to compete with their story already pre-written? Because that is exactly what happens with redemption narratives that are repeated over and over again. They are turned into something virtually set in stone, a puzzle with all but one piece already in place. What’s missing is the performance itself; everything else is already there. Suddenly, the skaters aren’t allowed the luxury of going into a new competition with a clear slate. Everything they do is tainted by their previous misstep.
Glenn can serve as the perfect example of the phenomenon. The first thing she was asked about during her Championships short program was how she felt performing the infamous triple loop. Because the successful skate fit the pre-created redemption narrative, the connection between the two events only grew stronger. The pressure, therefore, grew. The skater summed it up best when she said:
“I’d rather not have to have that extra step of redemption and just be able to go out and do what I’ve been training to do every day.”
The redemption narratives provide yet another way of putting pressure on athletes. Even if they are created with the best intentions, they make the possibility of failure seem like an even greater tragedy. It is much harder to fight for a great score when it is not just the championship that’s on the line, but also a story that spans months or, in some cases, even years. The pressure mounts higher and higher, often threatening to make the athletes crumble under its gravity.
On the other hand, for some, it serves as motivation. Some athletes thrive with the weight of the world on their shoulders, encouraged to try just that tiny bit harder. Some even use their influence to encourage the creation of redemption narratives.
Although FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is not a skater, he is the perfect example. Every time the team performs poorly, he takes it upon himself to promise the fans a redemption and, more often than not, delivers on that promise through a great performance. The problem is that he is in the minority. Most athletes do not encourage, or even actively discourage, loud redemption narratives. Unfortunately, they do not get much say in the matter.
Although the analysis focuses on figure skating, it could also be applied to any other sport. The issue is complex and differs from discipline to discipline. The one thing that never changes is the fact that no amount of divagations will stop people from creating and spreading redemption narratives. In the end, there is no other choice but to accept them as part of the competition.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
