Ranking judo champion Peter Paltchik is so dedicated to the competitive sport that he put off his honeymoon in 2016 to train after a devastating injury during a competition. “I was very hungry to succeed, and I was hungry in every practice, in every training, every day,” he said. That drive paid off. In 2018, Paltchik took the bronze medal in the European Judo Championship in Tel Aviv and captured the gold at the International Judo Federation Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi . Now, the 27-year-old has his sights set on a lifelong dream of qualifying for the Olympics. Paltchik, who was born in Russia and raised in Israel, exemplifies what it means to overcome adversity and push beyond limits — a lesson that is inspiring to business leaders as well as athletes. He spoke to Knowledge at Wharton about why he believes that “excellence is everything.” (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.) An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge at Wharton: How did you get interested in judo?…