Lee Seung-Hoon

instagram.com/seunghoon36525/

Training Regime	He trains for up to eight hours a day.
Name of coach	Roy Boeve [Vakwerk], NED
Club / Team	Korean Air [KOR] / AB Vakwerk [NED]:
Reason for choosing this sport	He was influenced by his older sister. He made the switch from short track to speed skating after failing to make the Korean short track team ahead of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating in 1994 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He was originally involved in short track before switching to speed skating in 2009.

Other sports	He has represented the Republic of Korea in short track and was part of the 5000m relay team that claimed gold at the 2008 World Championships in Gangneung, Republic of Korea. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Oct 2017; chosun.com, 24 Feb 2010)
Awards and honours	He was presented with the Best Athlete Award at the 2010 and 2018 Coca-Cola Athletics Awards in Republic of Korea. (jkn.co.kr, 29 Mar 2010; sports.donga.com, 21 Mar 2018) He was part of the team that received the Best Group Award at the 2014 Coca-Cola Athletics Awards in Republic of Korea. (etoday.co.kr, 12 Mar 2014) In 2011 he was given the Best Performance Award by the Korean Olympic Committee [KOC]. He was also presented with the KOC President's Award in the same year. (dt.co.kr, 24 Feb 2011)
Other information	INTERNATIONAL FIRST He became the first male speed skater to win a gold medal in mass start at the Olympic Games, following his victory in the inaugural mass start race at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (english.chosun.com, 26 Feb 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 28 Sep 2018) STRONG CORNERS He believes his background in short track gives him an advantage over his rivals when skating round the corners. "When I saw other countries' international skaters race in the corners, I thought they looked like beginners. I don't want to criticise others, but compared to short trackers the long track skaters' skill on the corner is low." (koreatimes.co.kr, 15 Jan 2010) ENDURANCE Despite competing in the relatively shorter distances in short track, he chose to concentrate on the 5000m and 10,000m when he moved to speed skating. "The reason I chose the 5000m, not the 500m or 1500m, is because my strength is stamina and my weakness is quickness. I'm not that tall, but I'm proud of my stamina. If there were a 20,000m event, I guarantee that I'd win it." (koreatimes.co.kr, 15 Jan 2010)
Hero / Idol	Korean footballer Park Ji-Sung. (sportsseoul.com, 09 June 2010)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (nocutnews.co.kr, 26 Feb 2018)
Nicknames	Ggotminam Skater ['ggotminam' refers to a person with an attractive face] (newsen.com, 06 Mar 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Old but gold." (news.chosun.com, 29 Mar 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning silver in the 5000m and gold in the 10,000m at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and claiming silver in team pursuit at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2017, 09 Feb 2017)
Most influential person in career	His parents. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2017)
Injuries	He cut his right calf on his skating blade after falling during the team pursuit at the 2017 World Single Distances Championships in Gangneung, Republic of Korea. He required eight stitches in the wound. (hankookilbo.com, 20 Feb 2017)