Samuli Suomalainen

www.facebook.com/samuli.suomalainen.9

Club / Team	Helsingin Luistinkiitajat: Helsinki, FIN
Name of coach	Janne Hanninen [national], FIN
Reason for choosing this sport	"My mother told me to go and try it to see if I liked it."
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating at age 10 in Helsinki, Finland.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Getting to the top of the world requires hard work every day, strict adherence to the training programme and faith in what you are doing." (yle.fi, 21 Jan 2021)
Famous relatives	His younger brother Joona Suomalainen has represented Finland in speed skating at junior level, and competed at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Baselga di Pine, Italy. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Jan 2021; luisteluliitto.fi, 26 Jan 2019)
Injuries	He withdrew ahead of the second day of the 2021 European Sprint Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, due to back spasms. (yle.fi, 17 Jan 2021)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (yle.fi, 21 Jan 2021)
Awards and honours	He was chosen as the best speed skater of 2020 by the Finnish Association of Sports Journalists. (iltalehti.fi, 13 Jan 2021)
Other information	COACHING CHANGE He says he has improved under coach Janne Hanninen, who took over as head coach of the Finnish national team after Peter Mueller was removed from the role in December 2019 following a poor run of results. "Janne was firm with his thoughts on my skating technique, which is what he has been helping me with. My training has also become more sprint focused during Janne's time, which is more suitable for me." (yle.fi, 21 Jan 2021, 03 Dec 2019)
Most influential person in career	Finnish ice hockey player Jason Andberg. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol	Finnish ice hockey player Teemu Selanne. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)