Timothy Goebel was a serious contender for the gold medal. In fact, some even saw him as the favorite. Coming into the Olympics he held the distinction of the being the first man to successfully complete a certain kind of quadruple jump on the ice rink in competition. Goebel was also a devout Catholic, adopted by two parents who raised him in a home that was permeated by the Catholic faith. Every time that he competed he wore a crucifix around his neck. Goebel knew that he drew his strength to compete from Jesus and wanted to give glory to Him by wearing an image of the Cross during his skating routines.
Before he competed in the Olympics, a judge from France who would score his routine asked him to take off his crucifix when he competed because she found it distracting. The gold medal contender was faced with a choice: would he downplay his faith and get a higher score from the French judge or would he risk a lower score and wear the Cross? In the Olympics, where medal placements are often decided by tenths of a point, he knew that a low score from this judge could be the difference between winning the gold and no medal at all. Timothy Goebel wore his crucifix when he skated that day. He turned in a nearly flawless performance. It seemed as if God were giving him superhuman strength. As the scores came in, it looked like he would win the gold. But the French judge's score, which was much lower than the rest, dashed his hopes. Timothy Goebel only won the bronze medal in the Men's Figure Skating because he dared to wear a crucifix when he competed.
His inspiring example gives us something to which we can aspire in our lives as disciples of Jesus.