Tyson Langelaar

Injuries	He has torn the medial collateral ligament [MCL] in his knee and sustained a concussion during his career. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Instagram profile, 07 Nov 2022; Facebook page, 25 Feb 2022)
Most influential person in career	Canadian speed skater Tyler Derraugh, and Dutch coach Remmelt Eldering. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019; mbspeedskating.com, 01 Feb 2019)
Hero / Idol	US basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, US swimmer Michael Phelps. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (Facebook page, 25 Feb 2022)
Awards and honours	He received the Roland Michener Award at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, AB, Canada. The award is given to the athlete who exemplifies leadership, cooperation and excellence during the Games. (rdnewsnow.com, 03 Jun 2019) In 2017 he received the Rising Star award from Speed Skating Canada. (winnipegfreepress.com, 26 Jun 2017)

Name of coach

Bart Schouten [national], NED

Sporting philosophy / motto

"You can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)

www.facebook.com/Tyson-Langelaar-179136779374097
twitter.com/TysonLangelaar

Reason for choosing this sport	"I was always the kid in school who took advantage and joined almost every team sport. Since I can remember, I took part in school sports, from basketball, track and field, volleyball to golf. As a kid born in Winnipeg, I wanted to grow up playing hockey. My parents had other ideas. Maybe part of the story was financial. Hockey was not inexpensive. They put me into swimming to make sure I had a life skill, and skating to give me a social skill. By skating, I mean learning how to start and stop, not going fast in a circle. I was never really into the hockey environment, so I just signed up for skating lessons. I love the rush you get skating around the turns at such speed."
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began ice skating at age six after switching from ice hockey. "Speed skating came many years after my first lessons at my local rink. I almost [quit] after year one. On the very last day of club registration, I asked my parents to drive me down to sign up for another year. I haven't thought about quitting once since then."

Other information	DEBUT OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE He finished ranked 22nd in the men's 1500m and fifth in the men's team pursuit at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "I hoped to be coming home with better results, but I realise that I skated my best on both race days. I am honoured to have represented Canada at these Games and hope to again in four years. To have lived a childhood dream at 23 is surreal. I hope to inspire the next generation of athletes like the previous generation inspired me." (Facebook page, 25 Feb 2022) DUTCH HERITAGE His father was born in the Netherlands. "My dad was born in the Netherlands, where speed skating was invented. His father, my opa, grew up speed skating from city to city along the frozen canals during the winter. Without knowing my family history, I was just young and excited to try to skate fast. My parents were quietly thinking, 'Maybe this was meant to be?' We stumbled across a CBC broadcast of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Watching [Canadian speed skater] Cindy Klassen rack up five medals at the Games, I realised, 'Hey! I love to skate. I love to skate fast. This thing could be for me'. As I turned around in the living room to ask my parents to sign me up, they were already ahead of me. Maybe they figured that speed skating can skip generations?" (cbc.ca, 15 Nov 2020) AMBASSADOR In 2020 he became an ambassador for KidSport Manitoba, a non-profit organisation that focuses on the development of amateur sports in Manitoba, Canada. "I believe sport is extremely powerful. If it wasn't for sport I wouldn't have had the opportunities that I've had. I've been lucky enough to travel the world, compete with the best and now [speaking in 2020] have the chance to influence kids. I want to share my story in sport with kids who love sports like I did. Sports can change kids' lives and I want to be a part of introducing a kid to a sport they never knew they loved." (Instagram profile, 01 Nov 2023; sportmanitoba.ca, 13 Nov 2020; KidSport Winnipeg Facebook page, 22 Sep 2020)
Hobbies	Cycling, golf, inline skating, ultimate frisbee, running. (olympic.ca, 01 Jan 2022)

tysonlangelaar.com