Reinis Berzins

www.facebook.com/reinis.berzins.31

Name of coach	Evita Krievane, LAT; Niels Kerstholt, NED
Training Regime	During 2020 and 2021, he spent time training in Utrecht, Netherlands. "In short track the Netherlands is definitely in the top three in Europe and will think about medals at the Olympic Games. I like the way the Netherlands has set up their short track and speed skating system."
Reason for choosing this sport	He was interested in playing ice hockey, but initially trained with figure skaters before almost quitting after the local ice 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 training. Some time later, Evita asked us to research short track, so the first two years I didn't really understand much about what I was doing. 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."
Club / Team	Krievanes Skating School: Ozolnieki, LAT
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began 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."

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)
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)