Sven Kramer

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Being satisfied with silver is not my view on top sport. That is not why I train, that is not why I race. I race to win." (ONS, 18 Feb 2014)
Famous relatives	His father Yep Kramer competed in speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games in 1980 and 1984. His partner Naomi van As has played hockey for the Netherlands and won gold at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. (schaatsen.nl, 25 Aug 2016; rtlnieuws.nl, 02 Jun 2014; tvmschaatsploeg.nl, 19 Jan 2009; SportsDeskOnline, 15 Nov 2021)
Awards and honours	In 2022 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands. (ad.nl, 12 Mar 2022) A corner at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands, was named in his honour in 2022. (ISU, 12 Mar 2022) In 2017 he was given the Oscar Mathisen Award. The honour is presented annually by the Oslo Skoiteklub in Norway to the skater who has made an outstanding or special achievement during the previous season. He had previously won the award in 2007. (schaatsen.nl, 06 Sep 2017; ad.nl, 06 Sep 2017) He won the Ard Schenk Award, given to the best Dutch speed skater, seven times between 2007 and 2016. (schaatsen.nl, 15 Mar 2016; svenkramer.nl, 05 Dec 2008) In 2010 he was presented with the Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw [Order of the Dutch Lion] after his success in the 5000m at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (nos.nl, 2010) In 2007 he was voted Dutch Sportsman of the Year. (svenkramer.nl, 05 Dec 2008; spitsnet.nl, 19 Dec 2007)
Other information	RETIREMENT He retired from the sport following the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Following his retirement he took up a management role with Team Jumbo-Visma in the Netherlands. "The greatest example of arrogance is to think you're irreplaceable. What I'll miss most is preparing for the really important moments, when you know it has to happen, and there's no excuse. That drive is nowhere else to be found in life. But I'm going to discover how things will be different. It's not like I will never skate anymore, but I will certainly not compete anymore, and that feels pretty good. I don't think I have to be ashamed of myself. I have achieved great things and had a fantastic career. It feels good to finish it." (ISU, 12 Mar 2022; nbcolympics.com, 19 Feb 2022) ACADEMY In August 2020 he set up the Sven Kramer Academy in Thialf, Netherlands. "The call for children, and adults as well, to exercise more is growing. I owe a lot to ice skating and I would like to give something back with this initiative. I want to make my knowledge, experience, and network available to stimulate and motivate the youth to go skating in the coming years. My ultimate dream is that every child has experienced the pleasure of skating at least once before his or her 12th birthday. That's why school skating will also be high on our agenda." (svenkrameracademy.nl, 23 Oct 2020; nltimes.nl, 30 Aug 2020) AMBASSADOR He has served as an ambassador for Spieren voor Spieren [Muscles for Muscles], a sports charity based in the Netherlands. (Twitter profile, 13 Jul 2020)
Other sports	He competed in road cycling at the 2004 National Junior Championships in the Netherlands, finishing second behind Robert Gesink in the individual time trial. He has competed sporadically in national level cycling events. (ad.nl, 18 May 2016; cyclingarchives.com, 14 Feb 2012)

instagram.com/svenkramer
twitter.com/SvenKramer86
svenkrameracademy.nl

Reason for choosing this sport	His father Yep was a speed skater.
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating as a child.

Injuries	He competed in the 5000m at the 2021 World Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, but a back injury then forced him to withdraw from the rest of the tournament. He had surgery on the injury in May 2021. (isu.org, 02 Nov 2021, 12 Feb 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 16 Feb 2021) He missed the 2020 Dutch Allround Championships in Heerenveen with flu-like symptoms. (teamjumbovisma.com, 20 Nov 2020) He spent the majority of the 2019/20 season affected by a back injury. (insidethegames.biz, 12 Feb 2020) A back injury forced him to withdraw from the 5000m at the 2018 World Cup event in Tomakomai, Japan. (isu.org, 21 Nov 2018) He struggled with lower back problems throughout the 2017/18 season. (schaatsen.nl, 24 Apr 2018) In April 2017 he broke his left collarbone after falling off his bicycle during a race in Drenthe, Netherlands. (schaatsen.nl, 29 Apr 2017) He injured his back falling off a swing in September 2012. "This sounds very clumsy, and it is. Especially because I wasn't even swinging. I was just sitting on it and slipped off." (schaatsen.nl, 05 Oct 2012) He was diagnosed with vitamin poisoning in 2010 after taking vitamin B6. The poisoning affected the movement in his right thigh and he also experienced problems with fatigue. He missed the 2010/11 season due to the thigh issue. (volkskrant.nl, 14 Nov 2015; schaatsen.nl, 22 Jun 2013)
Nicknames	Flying Dutchman (thisisinsider.com, 13 Feb 2018)
Milestones	He won his eighth Olympic medal when he claimed gold in the 5000m at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, making him the most successful male Olympic speed skater in terms of total medals won. It was his third consecutive gold medal in the 5000m, making him the first male athlete to win three gold medals in a single speed skating event at the Olympic Winter Games. He also became the first Dutch male Olympian to win eight medals, surpassing swimmer Pieter Van Den Hoogenband's total of seven. Later in the Games he won his ninth medal, a bronze in the team pursuit. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Feb 2018) He won his 21st gold medal at the world single distances championships by claiming victory in the team pursuit at the 2020 edition of the tournament in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. This is more than any other skater and five more than the next skater on the list, Martina Sablikova from the Czech Republic. He also has 26 medals overall at the world single distances championships, which is more than any other male skater. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Jan 2021) His gold medal in the big combination at the 2017 World Allround Championships in Hamar, Norway, took him to nine gold medals at all editions of the championships, one more than German skater Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann. His 12 overall medals at the championships is more than any other male skater. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Jan 2021; olympic.org, 15 Mar 2018)
Hero / Idol	Norwegian speed skater Johann Olav Koss. (svenkramer.nl, 23 May 2005)