Larissa Paes
Brazil
| Sport | Speed Skating | |
| NOC | Brazil | |
| Born | 05 Jun 1995 | |
| Gender | Women |
| Residence | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | |
| Occupation | Athlete | |
| Languages | English, Portuguese |
General Interest
General Interest
| Hobbies | Travelling. (esportes.yahoo.com, 18 Dec 2021) | |
| Injuries | She has been affected by chondromalacia [knee cartilage damage], ankle injuries, and a concussion during her career. (esportes.yahoo.com, 18 Dec 2021) | |
| Other sports | She has competed in roller speed skating at international level, including at the world championships in 2017 and 2018. (uol.com.br, 02 Sep 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 26 Oct 2022) |
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
| Reason for choosing this sport | Her parents wanted her to get involved in a sport instead of staying at home, and she tried swimming, basketball, ballet, and capoeira before she joined a roller speed skating club. She took up ice speed skating after participating in an introductory course organised by the International Skating Union [ISU] in the Netherlands. "I had never seen an ice rink, I didn't even know what it was. Then I participated in this learning week and at the end of the week, there was a race where I recorded a really bad time. It was a totally different experience." |
General Interest
General Interest
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (uol.com.br, 02 Sep 2022) | |
| Milestones | She became the first speed skater to represent Brazil at a World Cup event when she competed in the women's mass start at the 2021 event in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. (uol.com.br, 02 Sep 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 25 Oct 2022) |
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began roller skating at age six in Sobradinho, Brazil, after receiving a pair of skates as a Christmas gift. She took up roller speed skating at age 13 in Brasilia, Brazil. She later started ice speed skating in 2018 in the Netherlands. |
General Interest
General Interest
| Other information | SWITCH TO ICE After competing in roller speed skating at the 2018 World Championships in Arnhem, Netherlands, she took part in the introductory ice speed skating course in the Netherlands that led her to switch her focus to the ice. "I trained [in roller speed skating] for three months in Chile and another three months in the Netherlands and I really improved my physical level and technique, but once I competed at the world championships I didn't get the result I wanted. I felt tired and stressed. After the introductory course, the instructor told me to talk to my federation. I didn't even know there was a Brazilian ice sports federation. I contacted the president of the federation and he said there were training opportunities for me. I thought it was a chance to continue as an athlete but in a different scenario." She then arranged with the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation [CBDG] to begin training in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. "I didn't even know where it was, but it's a very nice city, very beautiful. I started to learn and like speed skating, and I got to know people." (uol.com.br, 02 Sep 2022; esportes.yahoo.com, 18 Dec 2021) |
Social Media
Social Media
| www.facebook.com/atletalarissa |