Odin By Farstad

www.facebook.com/odin.farstad
twitter.com/odinfarstad

When and where did you begin this sport?	He began the sport at age nine in Trondheim, Norway.
Training Regime	He trains between 800 and 900 hours a year.
Name of coach	Jeremy Wotherspoon [national], CAN; Bjarne Rykkje [national]
Reason for choosing this sport	His friends encouraged him to try the sport. "I started skating during a winter when there wasn't enough snow to do cross-country skiing. My dad brought us to the ice rink and I fell in love with the sport and kept on skating."
Club / Team	Sportsklubben Falken: Trondheim, NOR

Famous relatives	His younger sister Ane By Farstad has represented Norway in speed skating, winning bronze in the team sprint at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Baselga di Pine, Italy. She has also competed in short track and won gold in the mixed 3000m relay at the 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. His father Rune Farstad has competed in speed skating at international level, and has also served as his personal coach. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Nov 2021; spkl-falken.com, 23 Oct 2016; adressa.no, 23 Mar 2015; Skoytelandslaget Facebook page, 03 Dec 2019; speedskatingresults.com, 2018)
Ambitions	To win a gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (bladet.no, 09 Sep 2020; Skoytelandslaget Facebook page, 03 Dec 2019)
Hobbies	Skiing, cars. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2019)
Injuries	He began suffering from patellar tendinitis in his knee in 2017. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2019)
Most influential person in career	His father. "My dad has been the most important person to me as a speed skater. He skated himself and brought me to the ice. He has been my coach and mentor during most of my career." (Skoytelandslaget Facebook page, 03 Dec 2019)
Hero / Idol	US speed skater Shani Davis. (Athlete, 15 Nov 2019)
Other sports	He represented Norway in short track at the 2018 European Championships in Dresden, Germany. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Nov 2021)