Sjinkie Knegt

Name of coach

Niels Kerstholt [national], NED

Other information

AUTOCROSS RACER In 2018 he made his international debut in autocross in Rutenbrock, Germany. "In our village we always had an autocross competition and I thought it was fantastic. The past four years [speaking in 2018] I have gone with my friends to international meets so I was infected with it a little. I said, 'I want to try this too'. It is a fast, explosive sport. On some tracks with multiple lines I certainly benefit from my short track experience. You can approach the bend in a different way and you see certain spaces earlier. Autocross for me is the best relaxation there is." (schaatsen.nl, 04 Jun 2023, 27 May 2018; trouw.nl, 01 Aug 2022) BURNS He suffered serious burns in a domestic accident in January 2019. At the end of 2020 he said he was operating at about 75% of his best, and that he was still experiencing itching in his legs when standing still after a race day. "And if I get up quickly after a whole night's sleep, I also have to take it easy. The skin is still thin, it cannot handle the force of the blood. The body has to let you know when it is ready to move." In 2019 he set up the Sjinkie Knegt Foundation to support people who have sustained serious burns. (shownieuws.nl, 09 Dec 2022; ad.nl, 14 Dec 2020; sjinkiefoundation.nl, 01 Feb 2019)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began skating in 1999 in Heerenveen, Netherlands.

Injuries

In 2023 he sustained a back injury. (telegraaf.nl, 18 Sep 2023) In January 2019 he sustained serious burns to his face, chest, legs, and feet after his clothes caught fire during a domestic accident. He required a skin transplant on both his legs later in the month. He returned to competitive short track in February 2020. (isu.org, 14 Feb 2020, 12 Jan 2019) In December 2018 he suffered a serious calf muscle injury after an accident with a fork lift truck. (ad.nl, 14 Dec 2020; schaatsen.nl, 11 Jan 2019) He broke three ribs after a heavy fall at the 2016 World Cup event in Dordrecht, Netherlands. He also suffered injuries to his lung, liver, and spleen in the incident. (omropfryslan.nl, 28 Sep 2016; nos.nl, 13 Feb 2016) Illness meant he was unable to compete at the 2016 National Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (schaatsen.nl, 03 Jan 2016) In August 2013 he tore cartilage in his left knee and needed surgery. (nos.nl, 2013)

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Awards and honours

He was named Best Male Short Track Skater in the Netherlands at the 2018 Ard Schenk Awards Gala. (schaatsen.nl, 20 Mar 2018) He was named Male Short Track Athlete of the Year in 2015/16 by the Royal Dutch Skating Association [KNSB]. (schaatsen.nl, 07 Apr 2016) He was named the 2015 Sportsman of the Year in the Netherlands. (nos.nl, 23 Dec 2015)

Reason for choosing this sport

He was encouraged to take up the sport by a coach. "I love short track because of the game. You compete against four or five people and not against the clock like speed skating."

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Pressure does not make you skate faster." (isu.org, 09 Mar 2017)
Other sports	He has competed in international-level autocross events. (trouw.nl, 01 Aug 2022; schaatsen.nl, 27 May 2018)
Milestones	His bronze medal in the 1000m at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi was the Netherlands' first Olympic medal in short track. In 2017 he became the first Dutch short track skater to win individual gold over a single distance at the world championships when he triumphed in the 500m. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Jan 2021; nrc.nl, 11 Mar 2017; isu.org, 15 Feb 2014)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (nu.nl, 27 Sep 2022)