Vincent De Haître

vincentdehaitre.com/
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Reason for choosing this sport	He loved skating fast and was introduced to speed skating by a family friend.
When and where did you begin this sport?	He took up the sport in 1999 with the Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club [GCSSC] in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Other sports	He competes in track cycling and was part of the Canadian squad that placed fifth in team pursuit at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Nov 2021; tokyo2020.org, 21 Aug 2020)
Other information	TWO-SPORT ATHLETE He represented Canada in speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. Following the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, he decided to take a two-year break from speed skating to focus on track cycling ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. After placing fifth in team pursuit at the Tokyo Games, he began training for speed skating again with the aim of qualifying for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "It's almost impossible, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially during a pandemic. I do it because I can. It's a challenge. I still have the national record in 1000m in both cycling and speed skating, so I know what I can do as an athlete, I just need to prove it to everyone else." (isu.org, 05 Aug 2021; tokyo2020.org, 21 Aug 2020; ici.radio-canada.ca, 23 Aug 2018)
Hobbies	Cross-country skiing, camping, playing pool, watching movies, playing video games. (olympic.ca, 01 Feb 2020)
Nicknames	Quadzilla (sportsottawa.com, 26 Aug 2020)
Ambitions	To win a medal in speed skating at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (dw.com, 13 Sep 2021)
Most influential person in career	His parents, and cycling coach Don Moxley. (Athlete, 12 Nov 2017, 03 Dec 2015)
Awards and honours	He was named the 2017 Long Track Male Athlete of the Year by Speed Skating Canada. (speedskating.ca, 12 Jun 2017) In 2015, 2016, and 2017 he was named Male Athlete of the Year in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (sportsottawa.com, 26 Aug 2020; ottawasportsawards.ca, 2017; ottawacitizen.com, 29 Jan 2015) He was named the 2013/14 Long Track Rising Star of the Year by Speed Skating Canada. (speedskating.ca, 17 Mar 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Uphill is the quickest way to the top." (olympic.ca, 01 Feb 2020)
Injuries	He injured his heel ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but was still able to take part in the Games. (olympic.ca, 01 Feb 2020; ici.radio-canada.ca, 23 Aug 2018) He broke his collarbone in July 2012. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013)