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Conor McDermott-Mostowy

United States

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSUSA11301199901
NOCUnited States
Born13 Jan 1999 in  Washington, DC
GenderMen
Higher educationNeurological Science - Macalester College: Saint Paul, MN, USA
OccupationAthlete, Student
LanguagesEnglish
ResidenceSalt Lake City, UT, USA
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 34.95 04 Jan 2024 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1000m 1:06.91 28 Jan 2024 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1500m 1:44.77 22 Oct 2021 Salt Lake City, UT  
    5000m 6:48.89 16 Nov 2019 Salt Lake City, UT  
    10000m 14:28.01 29 Dec 2019 Salt Lake City, UT  
General Interest
General Interest
Other informationTATTOO
He has the word 'success' tattooed on his arm. "Success is always a moving target. For me, I always first ask, 'Does my success come at a cost to others?' It's a great motto to live by so I had the word tattooed on my arm. The tattoo is a reminder for me. It means that I know I'm here. It reminds me to be satisfied. If I don't medal, I can do plenty of things after that. I need to take inventory often and be happy just working toward this goal. It's an ongoing process. Plus I have other ambitions so speed skating will not be the zenith of my life. I plan to go for more Olympics in 2026 [in Milan-Cortina], then move on to other life goals. I'll walk away with my head up no matter what. That's the thing about success: it's not about the crowds, the competition, or the outcome. I know it's there." (mensjournal.com, 01 Jan 2022)

BEST SEASON
In March 2021 he described the 2020/21 season as the best of his career so far. "What started as a season of uncertainty with a new team, new coach, and the threat of COVID cancelling competition for the year, has ended up being the best year of skating I have ever had. This year [2020/21] I have achieved every goal I had, more than I thought possible. I focused on the 1500m, dropping a lot of time, and making it a competitive distance for me. I made the World Cup team and subsequently qualified for [the 2021] world championships, allowing me to go to the Netherlands for a month and compete against the best in the world. At [the 2021] US championships I skated PBs in both the 1000m and 1500m walking away with a gold and bronze respectively. In a year of physical distancing, I have become closer to my teammates." (Instagram profile, 09 Mar 2021)

POSITIVE ROLE MODEL
In 2021 he chose to speak publicly about being a gay athlete, saying that he came from a positive background of acceptance within his family and fellow skaters. "I can't think of anything [negative] that's ever been directed at me specifically. I've heard of some skaters saying homophobic stuff, not about me, but just in general. I've never had a bad experience with anybody personally. As a gay athlete, I think visibility is extremely important. [Sports] is an area in which gay people are underrepresented, and hopefully by seeing more 'out' athletes, more gay people will feel comfortable coming out and participating in sports. I guess making it as an 'out' gay athlete would be great to maybe be a role model for somebody and inspire somebody else to pursue the Olympics. If a happy coming-out story, a happy athletic story, can help someone, that's great. And also to put myself out there. If anyone had ever wondered if I'm gay, now they'll know. If anyone feels uncomfortable asking me, they don't have to ask me. I can put myself out there and kind of go back to focusing on skating." (Instagram profile, 28 Oct 2021; outsports.com, 15 Mar 2021; fox9.com, 19 Mar 2021)

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
He has studied neuroscience at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN, United States of America. His choice of college was influenced by the skating opportunities available. "I've had a lot of family go to Macalester, but I also wanted to be in a place where I could skate and go to school. And actually right in Roseville, there is John Rose Oval, which has an outdoor speed skating oval, and that factored into my decision a lot. My academic interests include biomedical applications of CRISPR [DNA sequencing] technologies, novel HIV treatments, and social justice in medicine and the sciences." (macalester.edu, 01 Feb 2021; LinkedIn profile, 02 Nov 2021)
 
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/conor.mcdermottmostowy  
General Interest
General Interest
InjuriesIllness affected his performance at the 2022 US Olympic Trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He missed a spot on the US team for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Apr 2022)  
Hero / IdolHis grandmother. (Athlete, 10 Feb 2023)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Training RegimeHe trains at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, UT, United States of America. "The average training day consists of two workouts with a break in the middle for lunch. We usually skate in the morning, then have off-ice training, weights, or a bike ride in the afternoon."  
General Interest
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto"A poor result is only a failure if you don't learn from it. I lost a lot when I was younger, and I think all that losing contributed to my success now. I never got comfortable with where I was and learned from every race I lost." (mensjournal.com, 01 Jan 2022)  
Memorable sporting achievementWinning silver in the mass start at the 2018 Junior World Cup event in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. "It was the first international mass start I had ever done, and I surprised myself with the result." (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)  
Most influential person in careerShort track coach Lee Hyun-Jung. (Athlete, 10 Feb 2023)  
HobbiesClimbing, reading, travel, cycling. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023, 10 Feb 2023)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sportHe initially competed in short track before taking up speed skating in 2016/17 on the advice of a coach. "I switched from short track to long track speed skating in 2018 after making the 2017 long track junior world team. Part of [what I love about the sport] is that I'm not really into team sports, because at the end of the day, if you don't do well, there's no one you can blame except yourself, and I like that aspect of it. It's also just an amazing feeling to go that fast. At our fastest, we skate at about 35 miles per hour - or I do, some people skate faster than me, obviously."  
General Interest
General Interest
AmbitionsTo compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. After he retires from competition, he plans to attend medical school. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023; LinkedIn profile, 19 Oct 2023)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachRyan Shimabukuro [national], USA  
When and where did you begin this sport?He took up short track at about age 10 and began long track speed skating at age 17. "I learned to skate when I was two, so it's really something I've always done, but I was never interested in playing hockey or figure skating. When I was about 10 years old, my family and I were skating on the C&O Canal in [Washington] DC when it froze over and some guy went by on speed skates and I said, 'I want those skates!' So my parents found a local club in DC for me to try speed skating, and the rest is history."  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2022/2023 Four Continents Championships Team Sprint3  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint6  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start12  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start12  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 1000m17  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 1500m20  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 1500m21  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 1000m24  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB Team Pursuit1  
    2022/2023 Heerenveen Team Sprint3  
    2023/2024 Obihiro Mixed Gender Relay3  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification Mass Start15  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification Mass Start15  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1000m17  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1000m19  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1500m19  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1000m25  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1500m36  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m41  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1500m45  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1000m51