Olivier Jean

twitter.com/olijeanmtl
www.facebook.com/olivier.jeanlepatineur

Club / Team	Les Brise Glace de Lanaudiere: Netherlands
Reason for choosing this sport	"I was always interested in long track, but I did not like the time trial format. So when I heard there was going to be a mass start [event] I thought, 'That's for me'. Coming from short track, eight laps already was a long way for me but I trained in marathon skating in the Netherlands for four months, so I was confident with my level of fitness."
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating at age five. He switched from short track to speed skating in October 2015.
Name of coach	Jillert Anema [club], NED; Bart Schouten [national], NED

Ambitions	To win a gold medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang and become the first athlete to claim Olympic gold in both short track and speed skating. (larevue.qc.ca, 21 Mar 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"I am just a guy wearing spandex that turns left really fast." (ONS, 05 Feb 2014)
Injuries	He broke his ankle in 2015. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015) He sustained a concussion after falling during the 2012 World Cup event in Nagoya, Japan. (cbc.ca, 05 Dec 2012) He suffered a serious training injury in 2007 when skates sliced through his protective guard and severed a tendon in his ankle. He required surgery and did not return to competitive skating until the World Cup team trials in September 2008. (canada.com, 18 Sep 2008)
Nicknames	Jamaicanadian [because of his affinity for Jamaican music and culture]. (NOC Media Guide, 2014)
Other information	SWITCHING DISCIPLINES After representing Canada in short track at World Cup events for nine years, he decided to begin competing in speed skating in 2015. "It's been really challenging. I've been hurting a lot with my left leg because we're not used to a straight left leg in the straights. We're not used to linking many straight steps together seamlessly using your body weight. The corners are pretty straightforward. That's where my strength is now, the corner." (winnipegfreepress.com, 22 Oct 2015) TIME OFF He skipped the beginning of the 2014/15 season to finish his kinesiology degree. (northumberlandnews.com, 06 Oct 2014)
Most influential person in career	Dutch speed skater Bob de Jong. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)
Hero / Idol	Korean speed skater Lee Seung-Hoon. (larevue.qc.ca, 21 Mar 2017)
Hobbies	Cycling. (Instagram profile, 17 Oct 2017)
Other sports	He won the Canadian roller speed skating sprint championships in 2006. He has also represented Canada in short track, claiming gold in the 5000m relay at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and speed skating. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Oct 2017; winnipegfreepress.com, 22 Oct 2015; Speed Skating Canada, 01 May 2009)
Awards and honours	He received the 2017 Athlete Excellence award at the Quebec Speed Skating Federation [FPVQ] Gala Meritas in Canada. (fpvq.org, 28 May 2017) He was named the 2012 Male Short Track Skater of the Year by Speed Skating Canada. (speedskating.ca, 10 Oct 2012) He received the 2007 Rising Star Award for short track from Speed Skating Canada. (Speed Skating Canada, 01 May 2009)