Kristen Santos-Griswold

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs

She takes her teddy bear [named Teddy] whenever she travels. (teamusa.org, 01 Oct 2021)

Reason for choosing this sport	She became interested in the sport after watching an advert on television that featured Dutch short track skater Wilma Boomstra. "So then I begged my mum to go and then after a year of begging her, I finally started it up."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began figure skating at age three, and took up short track at age nine in Fairfield, CT, United States of America.

Nicknames

Puff [because her face swelled up once after suffering an allergic reaction]. (teamusa.org, 01 Oct 2021; isu.org, 09 Sep 2020)

www.kristensantos.com/
instagram.com/kristensantos

Injuries	In 2019 she herniated a disc in her back and was off the ice for one month. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019) In 2017 she required surgery after cutting a tendon in her hand. She was out of action for one month and had to skate in a cast for three months. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019, 08 Nov 2018) In 2013 she broke her foot and was unable to skate for three months. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2018)
Most influential person in career	Her husband Travis. (teamusa.org, 15 Apr 2022)
Hero / Idol	US short track skater John Celski. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Never be afraid of failure. Just go for it." (Athlete, 08 Nov 2018)
Hobbies	Hiking, skiing, spending time at the pool. (teamusa.org, 01 Oct 2021)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (teamusa.org, 15 Apr 2022)
Other information	OLYMPIC MEDAL PURSUIT Heading into the 2021/22 season, she had her mind set on retiring at the end of the year. However, a fourth-place finish in the women's 1000m at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, in which she was involved in a crash with Italian skater Arianna Fontana, gave her the drive to continue to the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina. "Going into [the 2021/22] season, I think I had kind of set my mind to it being my last year, and that was something that motivated and pushed me at every practice. Falling in the last race when you're in medal position isn't fun. That was hard to deal with, and honestly, it's still hard to deal with. It was something I went back-and-forth with a lot. It's tough. But after the season and how the Games went, I still feel like I'm improving a lot, and I realise that I have unfinished business with the sport. I'm not necessarily ready to walk away from that. I think, while I could have definitely medalled in that race if that had not happened, I want to be in a position where I'm almost untouchable, in that sense. Where I'm in front and nobody can take me out. I think I am in it for another cycle." (teamusa.org, 15 Apr 2022) RACE STRATEGY Ahead of the 2021/22 season she began implementing a new strategy before races that involved sticking to her own plan and worrying less about what her competitors were doing. "I've definitely learned how to calm myself down going into a race, how to focus on myself and give myself positive talk, things like that. One thing that has helped is keeping a training log, a notebook where I write down everything I do in practices. It's a physical representation of how hard I've worked and how far I've come, a reminder of what I am capable of." (teamusa.org, 24 Oct 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2022 she began studying for a doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Utah in the United States of America. (teamusa.org, 15 Apr 2022)