Hein Otterspeer

Club / Team

Team Reggeborgh: Netherlands

Awards and honours

He was named the 2010 Sportsman of the Year in Krimpenerwaard, Netherlands. (heinotterspeer.nl, 13 Feb 2011)

Name of coach

Gerard van Velde [club], NED; Rintje Ritsma [national], NED

Most influential person in career

His family. (schaatsen.nl, 22 Jan 2019)

www.heinotterspeer.nl/
www.facebook.com/hein.otterspeer
twitter.com/heinotterspeer

Injuries

He was dealing with a groin injury in the lead-up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (schaatsen.nl, 16 Feb 2022; rtlnieuws.nl, 29 Dec 2021) In 2017 he sustained a back injury that continued to affect him for the following three years. (schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2020, 22 Jan 2019) He sustained a groin injury in January 2017. (schaatsen.nl, 26 Aug 2017) In 2015 he dislocated his shoulder after crashing into a car while cycling. (nos.nl, 06 Oct 2015)

Reason for choosing this sport

There was a nature park behind his house where he could skate on natural ice while he was growing up. "I quickly realised that I wanted to be a top skater. By the time I went to high school, I was already working on it. To be honest, I never looked further. I always had the conviction I had to make it and end up in a commercial skating team."

Hero / Idol

Dutch speed skater Ids Postma. (schaatsen.nl, 02 Sep 2017)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began skating in Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, Netherlands.

Other information

INJURY RESOLUTION He was affected by a back injury between 2017 and 2020. He was eventually persuaded to seek specialist treatment abroad by Jac Orie, who was his coach at Team Jumbo-Visma. "The weak zone has been removed from my body and I can use my strength again on the ice. I may not be at 100% [speaking in late 2020], but I am not at 50% either." (schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2020)