U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon nailed his routine in the men’s short program at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday, landing four jumps.
It was a solid performance by one of the breakout stars of the Games, and when he was asked by a reporter after his routine exactly why he’d been skating so well the past few days, he fired back with the fierce wit he has quickly come to be known by.
“You’re 28 years old, skating the best you ever have in your life. How do you explain that to people?” the skater was asked by NBC’s Andrea Joyce.
“I can’t explain witchcraft,” Rippon, with tongue in cheek, replied.
While he didn’t land in the top three during Friday’s event, Rippon has already taken home a medal. He won a bronze earlier this week in the figure skating team competition and has been a media darling both on and off the ice. He’s spoken about his battle with an eating disorder, shared his opinions on the Olympic condoms and bonded with actress Reese Witherspoon.
Social media lit up after Rippon’s witchy retort.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Adam Rippon landed four triple axels. He landed four jumps.