17
The Carrot and the Stick
In his native Norway, he's better known than the prime minister of the country. When I walk with him down the street in Oslo, people line up to ask for his autograph.
The same is true in Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, where he now lives, they take their speed skating seriously. Very seriously.
I'm talking about Johann Olav Koss. It's been 10 years since he won his fourth gold medal in the Winter Olympics. That's some time ago, but Johann is still a national hero. A legend.
There's more. Johann also established three world records in the Olympics. In his skating career, he actually broke 10 world records. Many consider him the greatest speed skater in the history of the sport.
His achievements on the ice have been eclipsed by his efforts on behalf of an organization called Right to Play. This is an amazing international humanitarian movement founded by Johann. The work of Right to Play and the millions of lives of young people it touches every year is a story in itself. But not for now.
Let's get back to Johann and what turn out to be his two closest relationships. It begins when Johann is seven years old. He is with a large group of other young skaters. “I am the worst of the lot,” he says. The leader and coach of this group of skaters is Svein Håvard Sletten.
“I am not very good. But Svein evidently sees something in me I don't see in myself. As I continue working with him, I realize he is a coach who wants most in life to produce a winner. That is ...
