Carlijn Schoutens

Hobbies	Playing games, playing the violin. (teamusa.org, 14 Jan 2015)
Hero / Idol	US speed skater Shani Davis. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began skating at age five at the Jaap Edenbaan ice rink in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Work hard, work smart and have fun." (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018)
Other information	RETIREMENT In April 2019 she announced she was retiring from the sport to focus on her medical studies. "I feel like I'm running away from the sport quite young. But I have peace with that, because I really want to do something else. I am happy with what I did as a skater. I got much more out of it than I ever thought." (schaatsen.nl, 09 Apr 2019) NATIONALITY She was born in the United States of America to Dutch parents. Her family moved to the Netherlands at age six, and she competed for the Dutch team at junior level. At the end of the 2013/14 season she took advantage of her dual nationality and began competing for the United States of America. The competition for places in the Dutch team was one of the main motivating factors in her decision to switch nations. "It's fun. I'm so glad I did it." (schaatsen.nl, 06 Dec 2014)
Injuries	She suffered a severe concussion in 2015 following a fall in training. The injury meant she was sidelined throughout the whole of the 2015/16 season. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018, 10 Nov 2017)

Reason for choosing this sport

"I followed my sister, who is two years older than me, and seemed to be having a lot of fun with it."

Most influential person in career	All her coaches. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning bronze in team pursuit at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 16 Nov 2018)

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