Two Americans stood on the Olympics podium Tuesday: gold medal halfpipe snowboard winner Chloe Kim and Arielle Gold, the bronze medalist.

They were great. But you can make a case that it's the American in fourth place, Kelly Clark, who offers the most indelible example of Olympic ideals. Clark is a five-time Olympian and a mentor to Ms. Kim and Ms. Gold as well as other women snowboarders.

For Clark, the journey began 20 years ago, when she watched the Nagano Olympics on television. She made her Olympic debut, and won gold, in 2002 – when Kim was just 22 months old. But the path to Olympic gold can be a self-centered journey. The focus and sacrifice required to reach the global pinnacle of success almost demands it.

Yet Clark’s legacy isn’t just about inspiring the next generation of halfpipe aerialists. Perhaps her more enduring gift is nurturing a sense of purpose that goes beyond the podium or even nailing back-to-back 1080s. Since 2002, as the Monitor’s Christa Case Bryant observes, Clark herself has dramatically redefined how she thinks about success and others have followed in embracing causes beyond the slopes. 

Now as the spotlight rightly shifts to the sensational 17-year-old American of Korean heritage, Clark’s wisdom shines as bright as any medal: “If your dream only involves you,” she says, “it's too small of a dream.”

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