Brittany Bowe

Hobbies	Yoga, cooking, baking. (sltrib.com, 24 May 2021; brittanybowe.com, 23 Oct 2020)
Other sports	She played basketball for Florida Atlantic University in the United States of America, and had offers to play professionally when she left college. She also competed in roller speed skating, winning more than 30 medals at the world championships. (Facebook page, 24 Jun 2017; usspeedskating.org, 10 Feb 2014; NOC Media Guide, 2014; fausports.com, 25 Jan 2012)

Reason for choosing this sport

After graduating from university in 2010, she switched from inline skating to speed skating in order to pursue her dream of competing at the Olympic Winter Games.

Most influential person in career	Coaches Ryan Shimabukuro and Matt Kooreman. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol	US basketball player Michael Jordan, US speed skaters Heather Bergsma and Bonnie Blair. (wwlp.com, 27 Jul 2017; nbcsports.com, 28 Dec 2013; Athlete, 18 Nov 2012)

Name of coach	Ryan Shimabukuro [national], USA; Gabriel Girard [national], CAN
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began inline skating at age eight and switched to speed skating in 2010 after moving to Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America.

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Go fast, turn left." (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018)

www.facebook.com/Brittany-Bowe-208356092513122/
twitter.com/BrittanyBowe

Awards and honours	She was presented with a Fair Play award from the International Fair Play Committee [CIFP] in recognition of her display of sporting spirit during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (usspeedskating.org, 23 Jun 2023) In 2023 she was inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Hall of Fame. (WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast YouTube channel, 28 Apr 2023) She was one of several athletes to receive an honour at the 2022 Musial Awards in the United States of America. The awards ceremony celebrates examples of sportsmanship in sport, and Bowe received her honour after giving up her Olympic qualification berth in the 500m to teammate Erin Jackson. (Musial Awards YouTube channel, 02 Mar 2023) She and curler John Shuster were flag bearers for the United States of America at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (nbcolympics.com, 17 Feb 2022; apnews.com, 04 Feb 2022) In 2018 and 2019 she was named Female Olympian of the Year in Utah, United States of America. (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2020; abc4.com, 16 Apr 2019) In 2019 she was inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Hall of Fame in the United States of America. (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2020) She was named the 2010 Athlete of the Year in basketball by the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] when she played at Florida Atlantic University in the United States of America. (NOC Media Guide, 2014)
Nicknames	BBowe (wwlp.com, 27 Jul 2017)
Injuries	In July 2016 she sustained a concussion in a collision with a teammate during training. In October of that year she was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome [POTS] and struggled with blood pressure issues and fainting episodes. She was only able to compete in one World Cup event during the 2016/17 season as a result of her injury. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 16 Nov 2018; nbc4i.com, 27 Jul 2017; nos.nl, 14 Oct 2016)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She carries her grandmother's rosary beads in her backpack. (wwlp.com, 27 Jul 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement	Claiming gold in the 1000m at the 2015 World Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Winning bronze in the 1000m and serving as US flag bearer at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2019; nbcolympics.com, 17 Feb 2022)
Ambitions	To win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games, and to compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (Facebook page, 06 Nov 2022; jsonline.com, 06 Jan 2023)
Other information	OLYMPIC GESTURE After winning the 500m at the 2022 US Olympic Trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she gave up her place to teammate Erin Jackson who had slipped during the race and finished in third place, claiming Jackson had the greater chance of winning gold in the event at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Both Bowe and Jackson were ultimately able to skate in the 500m in Beijing after a third qualification berth became available to the US team. Bowe placed 16th in the 500m, while Jackson claimed gold. "Although I won that race [US Olympic Trials], I didn't feel victorious at all. My heart and mind just started racing as to like, 'How are we going to get Erin onto this team?' We just met up for a brief moment, and I just needed to tell Erin that at the end of the day, if it comes down to it, she can have my spot. I thought she earned it and she deserved it over her performance from the first four world cups. In my heart and mind, it was just the right thing to do. It's just the spirit of the Olympics, and being a great teammate. It's bigger than just me, it's Team USA. It was an honour to give someone this opportunity. I knew she had a chance to do something special - and you just saw that something special happen, to become an Olympic champion. I couldn't be more proud to be her teammate and I'm just happy to be part of the puzzle." (apnews.com, 04 Feb 2022; olympics.nbcsports.com, 24 Jan 2022; olympics.com, 28 Jan 2022, 13 Feb 2022; time.com, 11 Feb 2022) NUTRITION She says that her nutrition improved after the COVID-19 pandemic began because she started to cook more often. "With COVID and not having the restaurants as options, I was in the kitchen every single day and I really, really enjoyed it. The more I learned and cooked for myself, it gives you a better awareness of what you need to put in your body so that when you go to these competitions, you're able to make good choices of what to pick on a buffet line. I'm just trying to make sure I'm getting my whole grains, my protein, my vegetables, my fat. You know, all of the basic nutrients we need to perform at a high level." (sltrib.com, 24 May 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as an ambassador for Right to Play, a charity that aims to use sport to educate and empower children in disadvantaged communities worldwide. (brittanybowe.com, 23 Oct 2020)

brittanybowe.com

Training Regime

She trains at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, UT, United States of America.