Casey Dawson

Hobbies	Photography, cycling, hiking, spending time with friends. (Instagram profile, 05 Nov 2022; parkrecord.com, 29 Jan 2022)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	"Skates go on in a certain order. Right skate first, don't tie it. Then, left skate on and tie it. Then, tie right skate." (parkcitymag.com, 15 Dec 2021)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning bronze in team pursuit at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Instagram profile, 05 Nov 2022; deseret.com, 15 Feb 2022)

Reason for choosing this sport	He had tried cross-country skiing and football [soccer], but he was particularly interested in speed skating.
Name of coach	Ryan Shimabukuro [national], USA
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating through the Youth Sports Alliance at Park City Speed Skating Club in Utah, United States of America.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"You have to be precise in your movements. You have to know how to put the pressure into the ice. You can't just skate on top of the ice. You have to use your body weight. It looks easy from the outside, but it's an especially challenging sport in that aspect." (parkcitymag.com, 15 Dec 2021)
Other information	JOURNEY TO BEIJING He tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ahead of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and was unable to take the flight to Beijing with the rest of his teammates. He remained in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America, where he felt no symptoms and continued to train. Having been tested 45 times, he finally recorded the four successive negative tests that allowed him to leave for the Games. He touched down in Beijing just 12 hours before he was due to compete in the men's 1500m, where he discovered that some of his luggage had gotten lost along the way. After passing a further test for COVID-19 and managing to borrow some equipment off Latvian skater, Haralds Silovs, he was able to take part in the race and ranked 28th. One week later he helped the United States of America to its first medal in men's team pursuit since 2010, claiming bronze behind Norway and ROC. "It was quite the experience in the 1500m, I had to skate in someone else's blades. It wasn't the prettiest, but I did as well as I could. Then I got back on track with my team. To come out as a medallist is amazing. I couldn't be happier because I thought all hope was lost." (deseret.com, 15 Feb 2022; ktvh.com, 15 Feb 2022; nytimes.com, 08 Feb 2022)

instagram.com/caseydawson11/