Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes / In December, I drove to Pyeongchang, home of the 2018 Winter Olympics. It is also where one of only 16 sliding tracks in the world is located. There, I photographed American-born athlete AJ Edelman, who represented Israel in skeleton at that time.
Finishing 28th out of 30 competitors, AJ thought his sports career was over, but when departing Korea a note left by an anonymous fan on his suitcase ignited his Olympic dreams again. Hoping to make it to Beijing in 2022, he’s now training as a bobsled pilot. Just like skeleton, the sport poses great risks of brain damage every time AJ shoots down the sliding track at speeds averaging 120 km (75 mi) an hour.
AJ formed his own team — composed of himself and 3 Israeli Arabs — and is taking on a significant financial burden to make his dream true. I found his dedication and work ethic admirable.
During my time in Pyeongchang, it snowed heavily, with temperatures dropping as low as -18°C (0°F). Even the drive there was quite an adventure. Many thanks to photo editor Elijah Sinclair Walker for trusting me with this one. You can read AJ’s story here.
(Text editing by M.)