Vanessa Herzog

Other information

FAMILY AFFAIR Her husband Thomas works as her coach. "Speed skating is a tough sport when things are not going well, which happened to me from 2015 to 2016. I did not see any chance to progress in Austria anymore so I joined a Dutch professional team and things got worse. I could not improve and wanted to quit the sport seeing no chance at all to get back on a podium, even though I was training harder than ever before. So I sat down with my husband and we discussed our options. The only fact we knew was that my husband should not become my coach. He was a tennis and skiing coach during his studies and had no experience of speed skating. And as life is always full of surprises we nevertheless tried it and started to have fun in training again and started a very successful period which led me to the point I am now [speaking in 2021]. Thomas is with me at every training session and he sees everything I do. When I'm a bit sloppy for only a second, he keeps me sharp and helps me to raise my level time and again. There aren't many speed skaters in Austria and I train alone a lot. It really helps me to have Thomas around, otherwise I would go crazy." (sn.at, 18 Mar 2022; womenfitness.net, 23 Aug 2021; isu.org, 25 Feb 2019) TRAINING ACCIDENT In April 2017 she was training on her bicycle when she was hit by a truck. The accident occurred when the vehicle made an unexpected turn and Herzog was unable to brake fast enough. She was fortunate to escape with only minor cuts and bruises, despite having her leg run over. "I have been very lucky. At first I did not realise what had happened to me. It was only later when I was in the car that it hit me. I had a thousand guardian angels. It is a miracle that I escaped worse injuries." (schaatsen.nl, 11 Apr 2017)

www.vanessaherzog.at/

Famous relatives	Her husband Thomas Herzog has served as her coach. (Athlete, 22 Nov 2018)
Milestones	She became the first athlete representing Austria to win a medal in roller speed skating at the world championships when she claimed gold [500m] and bronze [1000m] at the 2018 edition of the tournament in Arnhem, Netherlands. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Oct 2018; vanessaherzog.at, 04 Jul 2018; Facebook page, 02 Jul 2018, 01 Jul 2018)
Awards and honours	She was named Carinthian Sportswoman of the Year in Austria in 2019 and 2020. (Facebook page, 07 Dec 2020) She was named Austrian Sportswoman of the Year in 2019. (tt.com, 05 Apr 2020)
Injuries	In July 2021 she was diagnosed with a herniated disc after suffering from back pain for two weeks. She sustained another herniated disc in November of the same year. Her recovery period was about 10 months. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023; kleinezeitung.at, 12 Feb 2022; Facebook page, 15 Nov 2021; diepresse.com, 08 Nov 2021; kleinezeitung.at, 04 Oct 2021; laola1.at, 06 Jul 2021)

Club / Team

Team Novus [NED] / ESC Otrouza [AUT]:

Ambitions	To win gold at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (meinbezirk.at, 30 Mar 2023)
Hobbies	Nature, animals, hiking. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She puts on her right skate before her left skate. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)
Nicknames	Vani, Nessi (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)
Other sports	She has represented Austria in roller speed skating. She won gold in the 500m sprint and bronze in the 1000m sprint at the 2018 World Championships in Arnhem, Netherlands. She has also competed in athletics at national level in Austria. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Oct 2018; kleinezeitung.at, 29 Jul 2018; meinbezirk.at, 17 Apr 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning gold in the 500m at the 2019 World Single Distances Championships in Inzell, Germany. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023; womenfitness.net, 23 Aug 2021)

Reason for choosing this sport

"I grew up next to an ice skating rink and one day I joined my cousin in speed skating. The combination of strength, smoothness, grace, and speed is unique. If you are in good shape and you enter the curve at about 55km per hour, it's an indescribable feeling."

Most influential person in career

Her husband Thomas Herzog. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began skating in 2001 in Innsbruck, Austria. "I decided to become a professional athlete when I was 15 years old."

www.facebook.com/Vanessa.Herzog.Speedskating/
twitter.com/nessi1995

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Don't think, just skate." (Athlete, 22 Nov 2018) "No pain, no gain." (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)
Hero / Idol	German speed skater Anni Friesinger-Postma. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2023)

Name of coach

Thomas Herzog [personal, husband], AUT, from 2017