Suzanne Schulting

www.facebook.com/suzanneschultingNL/
twitter.com/suzanschulting

Name of coach	Erwin ten Hove [club], NED; Jeroen Otter [national], NED
When and where did you begin this sport?	She took up short track at age eight in Heerenveen, Netherlands.
Club / Team	Team IKO:
Reason for choosing this sport	"I was going to do long track and my coach said, 'You could also do some short track to learn how to skate corners well'. So I started short track and was really excited about it, and I'm still here."

Memorable sporting achievement	Winning gold in the overall competition at the 2019 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, and claiming gold in the 1000m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Mar 2019; schaatsen.nl, 10 Mar 2019)
Other information	SPEED SKATING AND SHORT TRACK In October 2018 she announced that she would be representing Team IKO in speed skating during the 2018/19 season. She planned to compete in both speed skating and short track in 2018/19 season, drawing inspiration from compatriot Jorien Ter Mors, but said that short track remains her priority. "Jorien is a pioneer in this field. I do not know exactly how I can develop on the long track, but as a girl I always dreamed of being able to compete as a speed skater for the medals, and we're going to see how it goes, but short track stays at number one." (schaatsen.nl, 02 Oct 2018; heerenveensecourant.nl, 02 Oct 2018; nos.nl, 02 Oct 2018) UNEXPECTED MEDAL She was a member of the Dutch women's 3000m relay team that won a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang despite not qualifying for the A final. Two out of four teams in the A final were disqualified, meaning the Dutch team - who won the B final in world record time - were awarded the bronze medal. (bbc.com, 20 Feb 2018; deadspin.com, 21 Feb 2018)
Awards and honours	She was named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year in 2018. (isu.org, 24 Jan 2019) She was named Best Female Short Track Skater in the Netherlands at the 2018 Ard Schenk Awards Gala. (schaatsen.nl, 20 Mar 2018) In March 2018 she was made a Knight of the Orde van Oranje-Nassau [Order of Orange Nassau] in recognition of the gold medal she won at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (schaatsen.nl, 26 Mar 2018; lintjes.nl, 2018)
Nicknames	Suus (schaatsen.nl, 20 Mar 2018)
Other sports	She represented the Netherlands in speed skating at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Mar 2019)
Milestones	She became the first Dutch athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in short track by claiming victory in the 1000m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Oct 2018; OIS, 22 Feb 2018) She became the first female short track skater representing the Netherlands to win an overall world title when she claimed all-around gold at the 2019 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Mar 2019; schaatsen.nl, 10 Mar 2019)
Most influential person in career	Her parents, and coach Jeroen Otter. (Athlete, 13 Jan 2017)
Hero / Idol	Dutch short track skater Sjinkie Knegt. (Athlete, 13 Jan 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Kick some ass." (Athlete, 13 Jan 2017)