John-Henry Krueger

Famous relatives

His brother Cole has competed in short track at international level. He initially competed for the United States of America but has since switched allegiances to Hungary. (nbcolympics.com, 06 Oct 2017; wsj.com, 10 Mar 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 23 Dec 2020)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began skating in 2000 at Pittsburgh Speed Skating Club in Pennsylvania, United States of America.

Hobbies

Listening to music, drinking tea, playing video games, ice hockey, supporting NHL team the Pittsburgh Penguins, learning languages. (nytimes.com, 08 Feb 2022; Facebook profile, 24 Oct 2020; nemzetisport.hu, 13 Feb 2020)

Reason for choosing this sport

His brother Cole was influential in him starting short track. "We were very competitive as brothers, we liked racing each other in everything we did, whether it was first to the dinner table or first back to the car from grocery shopping. My family got a call from Pittsburgh Speed Skating Club saying they had seen my brother racing other kids on the public session. Then he started racing on the team, he loved it, and then a couple of years after, as I got to the ripe old age of five, I followed him."

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Your body is built to work. Never doubt its ability to work through pain." (usspeedskating.org, 13 Aug 2013)

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083460385785

Nicknames	Yuehan, JH (Facebook profile, 24 Oct 2020, 20 Nov 2014)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	He puts his right skate on before his left. (teamusa.org, 06 Nov 2014)
Injuries	He sustained a shin [tibia] injury in October 2019, which delayed his first international appearance for Hungary. (nemzetisport.hu, 13 Feb 2020; origo.hu, 26 Jan 2020) He withdrew during the US trials for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi after contracting swine flu. (teamusa.org, 10 Nov 2014)
Hero / Idol	Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor. (Athlete, 02 Feb 2017)
Other information	COMPETING FOR HUNGARY Having previously represented the United States of America at multiple world championships and the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, he announced his intention to switch allegiances and represent Hungary in April 2018. He gained Hungarian citizenship the same year and began competing for his new nation in 2020. His brother Cole had previously made the switch to represent Hungary after training with the Hungarian national team since 2016. "I was and am still proud to have represented the United States during my career but have been faced with an unsustainable situation where if I continue pursuing my career with the US team I will bankrupt myself and my family. Overall the financial costs necessary for me to perform competitively at the international level are unsustainable with the lack of sufficient financial support from US Speedskating and the [United States Olympic Committee]. Hungary supports its achieving athletes on a level above and beyond anything I have asked for or would ever ask for from US Speedskating. I will be able to pay for basic necessities like groceries, rent, apartment furnishings, clothes and equipment without putting myself and my family in debt. The coaching and team in Hungary is competitive with any in the world. I am excited to see what I can achieve when these negative variables are removed." (nytimes.com, 08 Feb 2022; nemzetisport.hu, 13 Feb 2020; usatoday.com, 30 Apr 2018; Twitter profile, 21 Sep 2018) GLOBAL TRAVELLER He has lived in several countries around the world including the United States of America, the Netherlands, Hungary and the Republic of Korea. "It gave me huge experience, great life experience, learning people's different cultures, how they adapt to everyday situations in life. I lived in Seoul [Republic of Korea] for two years. It is my home away from home and I definitely feel homesick. I love Korean food. Although, the strangest food I have had is in Korea. This fish stew which has the egg sack of a pregnant fish, fish intestines and stuff. It looks horrifying but it tastes pretty good." (isu.org, 09 Sep 2018)