Adam Rippon was given a T-shirt two years ago emblazoned with what became his motto.
“I’m like a witch,” was Rippon’s famous quote after winning a breakthrough U.S. title in 2016, “and you can’t kill me.”
It’s been 10 years since Rippon won the first of back-to-back world junior titles. His time as a senior skater has been far less successful, but he took every failure and setback and kept on going.
The latest came Saturday night for the 28-year-old, the oldest man in the U.S. Championships field.
Rippon fell on a quadruple Lutz and singled the last two jumps of his free skate in San Jose, dropping from second after the short program to fourth place overall.