Viktor Hald Thorup

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Reason for choosing this sport	He was involved in inline skating for a number of years, but liked the idea of racing against the clock on ice better. "I kept inline skating, I made it to the national and international level, and that's when I realised that I might have a shot in making it to the Olympics if I switched to ice skating. I decided to do that."
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began inline skating as a child in Denmark. "As a kid, I was always the shortest and smallest in my class. Like most European boys, I joined the local football club, but never had any desire or talent for it. However, in skating it didn't take height or size to go fast, and when my mum read about a local inline club in the newspapers, she talked me into giving it a shot. In a short time, I developed a passion for skating." He took up speed skating in 2012 after he was invited to participate in a junior national camp in Inzell, Germany.
Name of coach	Jesper Carlson [national], DEN
Training Regime	"Even though my profession as of right now [speaking in 2021] is ice skating, I still spend the majority of my time training on the wheels. I spend 80% of my training time on inline skating."

Other sports	He competed in roller speed skating at junior international level. (b.dk, 29 Apr 2013)
Memorable sporting achievement	"My fifth place in the Olympics [in 2018 in the mass start] was a great moment, because it was the best Danish individual performance ever at the Winter Olympics. Apart from that, my first top 10 place in the [2019 Allround] World Championships broke new ground for me mentally, because that was when I realised that I have a real chance of being the best skater in the world." (fusionworld.com, 15 Dec 2019)
Most influential person in career	Coaches Jens Normark and Jesper Carlson. (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)
Hero / Idol	US speed skater Joey Mantia. (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Train hard, keep believing." (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "Hopefully doing more inline races in the future after the 2022 Games." (Rollerblade YouTube channel, 31 Mar 2021)
Injuries	At age 14 his foot became infected. He was out of action for four weeks. (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)
Famous relatives	His partner Sofia Prosvirnova competed in short track at the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. She finished fourth in the 3000m relay representing the Russian Federation at the 2014 Games in Sochi. (olympicchannel.com, 18 Sep 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 14 Jan 2021)
Other information	US TRAINING He spent time training with the US national speed skating team ahead of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "Sadly, we lack long track ice skating facilities in Denmark, as well as any culture or history for the sport. Therefore, I grabbed a once in a lifetime opportunity to join the American national team in their training for the 2022 Games. Training, racing and developing on a daily basis, on the world's fastest ice, in Salt Lake City, Utah." (Instagram profile, 12 Jan 2021; viktorthorup.com, 25 Jun 2019) OCCUPATION He and former inline skater Magnus Asping run TopSkate Danmark, an inline skating equipment and clothing company. He also has a coaching business, offering tailored training and nutrition advice. (YouTube channel, 16 Nov 2021; Facebook profile, 11 Nov 2021; II-Coaching Facebook page, 04 Dec 2020; topskate.dk, 01 Aug 2020; Topskate Facebook page, 28 Jun 2020) TIME IN FRANCE At age 15 he moved to Toulouse, France, where he lived with a host family and began training with inline skating world champion Pascal Briand. He completed his high school studies there in 2012. (viktorthorup.com, 28 Dec 2014)