Jesper Hospes

www.jesperhospes.nl/
twitter.com/jesperhospes
www.facebook.com/hospesjesper

Name of coach	Henk Hospes [club, father], NED
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating at age 11.
Club / Team	Gewest Fryslan: Netherlands
Reason for choosing this sport	He likes the sport as it allows him to push the limits. "I couldn't play football anymore because of an injury, and I liked the idea of doing an individual sport."

Hero / Idol	Japanese speed skater Hiroyasu Shimizu, Dutch speed skaters Erben Wennemars and Gerard van Velde, Canadian speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013, 14 Dec 2012)
Famous relatives	His father Henk competed in speed skating at national level and has worked as a coach. His partner Janine Smit has represented the Netherlands in the sport, winning gold in team sprint at the 2019 World Single Distances Championships in Inzell, Germany. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Jan 2021; Facebook profile, 15 Dec 2020; omropfryslan.nl, 10 Jul 2020; Facebook profile, 27 Feb 2015; sport.nl, 05 Oct 2009)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Don't give up. Focus on yourself and play hard." (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013, 14 Dec 2012)
Most influential person in career	His parents, and coach Gerard van Velde. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013, 14 Dec 2012)
Other sports	He competed in roller speed skating at the 2016 European Championships in Heerde, Netherlands. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Mar 2019; edestad.nl, 14 Jul 2017)
Injuries	In June 2020 he had an operation due to appendicitis. (omropfryslan.nl, 10 Jul 2020) A groin injury meant he missed the 2016 World Cup event in Heerenveen, Netherlands. He returned to competition the following month. (lc.nl, 23 Jan 2017) He underwent knee surgery in May 2014. He was fit to start the new season in October 2014. (jesperhospes.nl, 03 Nov 2014)
Hobbies	Football, Formula One, cycling, sailing. (Twitter profile, 28 Dec 2020)