LH44

Were you robbed? I ask him.

“Was I robbed? Obviously. I mean, you know the story. But I think what was really beautiful in that moment, which I take away from it, was my dad was with me. And we’d gone through this huge roller coaster of life together, ups and downs. And the day that it hurt the most, he was there, and the way he raised me was to always stand up, keep your head high. And I obviously went to congratulate Max, and not realizing the impact that that would have, but also I was really conscious of, like, there’s a mini-me watching. This is the defining moment of my life. And I think it really was. I felt it. I didn’t know how it was going to be perceived. I hadn’t, like, visualized it. But I was definitely conscious of: These next 50 meters that I walk is where I fall to the ground and die—or I rise up.”

I ask him if he fixates on that race.

“If I see a clip of it, I still feel it,” he says. “But I’m at peace with it.”

And the winning-less-ness that’s followed?

“My fans were really ride-or-die. I couldn’t understand it at first: ‘Guys, but I’m not winning anything!’ But I’ve realized it’s not easy to relate to someone that’s always finishing first. It’s inspiring. But there’s no—” There’s never been a comeback story until now.

It’s a good lesson from his sideline in movies. People love a comeback story.