Sandor Liu Shaolin

Other information	FAMILY He and his younger brother Shaoang Liu were born to a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother, and have both competed in short track at international level. "Our father always said that as I was older I would pay attention to my brother, help him, and get the best out of everything. I promised this, but it is mutual because I feel he is always trying to help, and trying to be the best brother. I never felt he would have been envious of any of my achievements, like I have never been of him." (origo.hu, 14 Feb 2017; blikk.hu, 08 Mar 2013) CHINESE TRAINING He and his younger brother Shaoang Liu were given the opportunity to train in the People's Republic of China earlier in their careers. "We were really lucky. When we started there was a world championships in Hungary and the Chinese team came. My father, being Chinese, started speaking with them, helped with different things in Hungary and getting to know the country. They said since his two sons were Chinese they should come and train in China. It sounded good to him so he decided to take the chance to bring us to China and we trained there for one-and-a-half years. Before our results weren't really good. After that time we came back from China and we won every competition." (isu.org, 14 Feb 2017) TATTOOS He has a number of tattoos on his body. One on his left arms reads 'I must be the greatest', a quote from US boxer Muhammad Ali, while he also has a tattoo of the word 'glorious', a lighthouse, a crown, and an eagle. (isu.org, 04 Jan 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Never let haters get you down." (Athlete, 13 Jan 2017)

www.facebook.com/Shaolin-Sandor-Liu-1174754759309932/
twitter.com/ShaolinLiu

Name of coach	Akos Banhidi [club, national], HUN
When and where did you begin this sport?	He took up short track in 2005 in Budapest, Hungary.
Reason for choosing this sport	"Before we [he and his younger brother Shaoang Liu] were swimming. We did that for one or two years but we always got sick from the water and used to always have a cold. It was more bad than good for us so we tried to swap to another sport. We were looking for different choices in Hungary and we just found short track. I don't know how it happened."
Club / Team	Ferencvarosi Torna Club: Budapest, HUN

Famous relatives	His younger brother Shaoang Liu has competed for Hungary in short track, and was part of the 5000m relay team that won gold at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Feb 2018; index.hu, 10 Jul 2017; Athlete, 13 Jan 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning gold in the 5000m relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2018)
Ambitions	To win a second gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games. (nemzetisport.hu, 29 Apr 2018)
Milestones	He was part of the men's 5000m relay team that won Hungary's first gold medal in any sport at the Olympic Winter Games by claiming victory at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (OIS, 22 Feb 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 23 Dec 2020)
Awards and honours	He was named the 2018 Sportsman of the Year by the Hungarian Sports Journalists' Association. (hungarytoday.hu, 15 Feb 2019)
Injuries	He contracted COVID-19 in September 2020 which affected him for several weeks. "The hardest thing I wore was that I couldn't move, I was tied to my bed by the doctors. I've been training again for three weeks now, but I felt very weak when I came back." (ulloi129.hu, 09 Nov 2020; hungarytoday.hu, 18 Sep 2020)
Most influential person in career	His family, especially his brother. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2018)
Hero / Idol	Hungarian short track skater [and his brother] Shaoang Liu, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2018)