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Livio Wenger

Switzerland

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSSUI12001199301
NOCSwitzerland
Born20 Jan 1993 in  Kriens
GenderMen
OccupationArmed Forces Athlete
LanguagesEnglish, German
Higher educationBusiness - FREI'S Talent School: Lucerne, SUI
FamilyPartner Dalia Soberanis
ResidenceSchenkon, SUI
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 36.52 02 Mar 2019 Calgary  
    1000m 1:09.79 02 Dec 2017 Calgary  
    1500m 1:44.09 16 Feb 2020 Salt Lake City, UT  
    5000m 6:12.13 03 Dec 2021 Salt Lake City, UT  
    10000m 13:26.11 17 Dec 2022 Calgary  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
World Single Distances Championships
Event  
World Single Distances Championships
    Mass Start 16 Laps     1  
European Single Distances Championships
Event  
European Single Distances Championships
    Mass Start 16 Laps   1    
    Team Sprint     1  
General Interest
General Interest
InjuriesHe was diagnosed with COVID-19 two months before the start of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Although he was still able to compete at the Games in Beijing, it took him about one year to fully recover. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)

He suffered an adductor muscle injury in 2012. (basellandschaftlichezeitung.ch, 07 Jan 2014)

He sustained an Achilles tendon injury while competing in roller speed skating. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)
 
Other sportsHe has represented Switzerland in roller speed skating, and won silver in the 10,000m points elimination race at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 28 Oct 2022)  
Most influential person in careerCoach Kalon Dobbin. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
Hero / IdolUS basketball player LeBron James, US speed skater Shani Davis, coach Kalon Dobbin. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
AmbitionsTo win a medal at the Olympic Winter Games. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
Awards and honoursHe was named the 2010 Best Junior Athlete of Central Switzerland. (luzernerzeitung.ch, 05 Sep 2011)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?He first tried roller speed skating at age four in Switzerland, and began speed skating in 2012 in Davos, Switzerland.  
General Interest
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto"Hard work." (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
Social Media
Social Media
www.liviowenger.ch/  
www.facebook.com/liviow93/  
twitter.com/LivioWenger  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sportHe wanted to compete at the Olympic Winter Games. "I come from a very sport orientated family. My parents and two older siblings were cross-country skiers, so I came into roller speed skating through them. My father Ruedi and his friend Hans Bertschi got me interested in the sport from an early age."  
Name of coachKalon Dobbin [personal], NZL  
General Interest
General Interest
Famous relativesHis older sister Nadja Wenger has represented Switzerland in speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games [in 2022] and in roller speed skating at the world championships. His partner Dalia Soberanis has represented Guatemala in roller speed skating, and won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Facebook profile, 16 Sep 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 28 Oct 2022; liviowenger.ch, 31 Aug 2017)  
Memorable sporting achievementCompeting at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and 2022, claiming two medals at the European single distances championships [bronze in 2020, silver in 2022], and winning silver in the 10,000m points elimination race while competing in roller speed skating at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
MilestonesHe became the first speed skater representing Switzerland to win a European championship medal in an individual event when he claimed silver in the mass start at the 2022 European Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (srf.ch, 09 Jan 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Oct 2022)

He, Oliver Grob and Christian Oberbichler won bronze in team sprint at the 2020 European Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, which was the first European championship medal in speed skating for Switzerland. The trio previously became the first speed skaters representing Switzerland to win a World Cup medal in team sprint when they claimed bronze at the 2019 event in Astana, Kazakhstan. (isu.org, 11 Jan 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 19 Nov 2021)
 
Other informationTEAM SPRINT DECISION
He admits he was hesitant about joining the Swiss sprint team ahead of the 2019/20 season because he wanted to focus his attention on longer distance races. He was convinced to join the team by the national coaches and sprint teammates Oliver Grob and Christian Oberbichler, and the trio went on to win the nation's first European championship medal at the 2020 European Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. "To be honest, I didn't want to ride with the team, because I didn't think we would have a chance anyway. The coaches, and Christian and Oli persuaded me to try it anyway. Two weeks before the first World Cup [event] we did our first test race. It was horrible. I said to the boys, 'We'll never do this again'. But we did it anyway and I am very happy to be here now." (schaatsen.nl, 11 Jan 2020)
 
Superstitions / Rituals / BeliefsHe has a lucky pig amulet. (blick.ch, 05 Feb 2022)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamEC Zurich: Switzerland  
General Interest
General Interest
HobbiesSports, cooking, spending time with friends. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
NicknamesLiv (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships Mass Start2  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start3  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships Team Sprint3  
    2018 Olympic Games Mass Start 16 Laps4  
    2023/2024 European Single Distances Championships Mass Start5  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint5  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps6  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps7  
    2022 Olympic Games Mass Start7  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships 1500m7  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start9  
    2015/2016 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps9  
    2018/2019 World Allround Championships Allround9  
    2020/2021 European Allround Championships Allround11  
    2023/2024 European Single Distances Championships 5000m13  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps13  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships 1500m13  
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships 5000m14  
    2019/2020 World Allround Championships Allround14  
    2016/2017 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps16  
    2015/2016 European Championships Allround17  
    2023/2024 European Single Distances Championships 1500m17  
    2018 Olympic Games 5000m17  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships 5000m17  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps18  
    2022 Olympic Games 5000m18  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 5000m19  
    2018 Olympic Games 1500m25  
    2013/2014 European Championships Allround27  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps2  
    2023/2024 Stavanger Mass Start2  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen Mass Start 16 Laps2  
    2017/2018 Salt Lake City, UT Mass Start 16 Laps2  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification Mass Start3  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen Mass Start 16 Laps3  
    2023/2024 Quebec, QC Mass Start3  
    2023/2024 Obihiro Mass Start3  
    2019/2020 Nur-Sultan Team Sprint3  
    2022/2023 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Mass Start3  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification Mass Start4  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps4  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps5  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification Mass Start7  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps8  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps11  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1500m12  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1500m14  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1500m14  
    2015/2016 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps18  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 5000m20  
    2013/2014 World Cup Classification Mass Start 20 Laps20  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m24  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m29  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m30  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification Overall30  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m32  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m33  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1500m34  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m34  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m34  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m34  
    2015/2016 World Cup Classification Overall35  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1500m41  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification Overall47  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification 1500m49  
    2013/2014 World Cup Classification 5000/10000m54  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1000m57