A Christian skier who says that faith is the most important part of his life has won gold at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
American David Wise is now a two-time gold medal winner of the ski halfpipe, but insists that his success is only temporary compared to the gift of knowing Christ.
Away from the slopes, the 27-year-old leads the youth group at his church in Nevada with his wife Alexandra.
‘Gift from God’
Writing in a blog post before the Olympics, Wise said: “Everything that I have is a gift from God, and He can take it away when He wants to.
“I am surrounded by people who truly love and support me for who I am, not what I do on a pair of skis and not for any level of success I could attain.”
He struggled for form leading up to the Olympics and saw long-term sponsors leave but says this just motivated him to train harder.
Faith and trust
Wise has previously spoken out about how his faith allows him to trust in God during all situations.
“Faith plays a huge role because it enables me to be confident. I don’t have to worry about what’s happening or the outside influences as much because I feel like I can trust God, and he’s going to see me through.
“I can look back on my path and realise that God had a pretty significant part in taking care of me.”