Reinis Berzins

Club / Team

SK Zemgale: Jelgava, LAT

Most influential person in career	Coach Evita Krievane. (Athlete, 23 Oct 2017)
Hero / Idol	Russian short track skater Victor An. (Athlete, 23 Oct 2017)
Ambitions	To win medals at the Olympic Winter Games. (Athlete, 07 Dec 2021)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He took up the sport in 2010 in Ozolnieki, Latvia. "When I was around 10 or 11 years old, I went to my first Danubia Series [competing as a junior international]. I got some bad quality blades but at least I got a feeling for what short track is, so I just continued without a really big goal."

www.facebook.com/reinis.berzins.31

Name of coach	Evita Krievane [club]
Reason for choosing this sport	He was initially interested in playing ice hockey. He began training on the ice with figure skaters but almost quit when his local rink failed to start an ice hockey team. He was encouraged to return the following week, when he met short track coach and Latvian international Evita Krievane. "We started with two training sessions a week, one ice session with ice hockey skates and one physical [session]. Evita took me one summer, when I was 12, to Salt Lake City in the United States to train for two months while she was trying to prepare for the 2014 Olympic Games. I was able to join the club at the Utah Oval. I was the youngest and weakest guy there but I improved a lot during that period."

Memorable sporting achievement	Competing in the 1500m A final at the 2021 World Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2021)
Hobbies	Volleyball. (Athlete, 07 Dec 2021)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	He goes to sleep at least one hour earlier than usual the night before a competition. He also uses breathing exercises before races to reduce stress and help him focus. (olympics.com, 04 Feb 2022)
Awards and honours	He was named Athlete of the Year in Olympic Sports at the Sports Laureats 2022 event in Jelgava, Latvia. (zz.lv, 23 Dec 2022)