Peter Michael

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Reason for choosing this sport	One of the factors that persuaded him to switch to speed skating was that there was more funding available in the sport than in inline skating. He also wanted to compete at the Olympic Winter Games, after being inspired by New Zealand speed skater Shane Dobbin competing at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
Name of coach	Siep Hoekstra [Team FrySk], NED; Bob de Jong, [Team FrySk], NED
When and where did you begin this sport?	He competed in inline skating before taking up speed skating in 2014 in Inzell, Germany.
Club / Team	Canterbury Alpine Ice Speed Skating Club [NZL] / Team FrySk [NED]:
Training Regime	He trains twice a day, six days a week. His training comprises a mixture of resistance exercises, cycling, gym work, ice track work and in the summer months he does inline skating.

Other information	LIVING IN THE NETHERLANDS In August 2021 he spoke about his experience living away from home in the Netherlands. "Of course I would rather live in New Zealand, close to the family. But that's a bit tricky for a long track guy, because there isn't a single 400m track in my country. My mother would cheer if I came home tomorrow. That won't happen yet. I have some stuff to do." (schaatsen.nl, 29 Aug 2021) INLINE TO ICE He first competed in inline skating but decided to switch to speed skating. "By my twenties I had done everything possible in inline [so] I tried ice - at the start I didn't really like it, it was quite difficult, trying a new sport, but I stuck through with it. The first day, I stepped on the ice and did one lap. I reckon it would have taken me four minutes just for that one lap. I couldn't stand up, it was very difficult. The next day, I managed five laps. I developed quickly after that, but, in saying that, I just went hard. A lot of people think, from the sidelines, that [inline and speed skating] are really similar, but they're honestly not. To do four minutes that first lap - I was coming off one of my best years in inline." (nzherald.co.nz, 13 Mar 2019; vice.com, 06 Dec 2017) INSPIRATION He has said that he hopes he can inspire more people to try speed skating in New Zealand. "It would be really nice if we could make some waves here and there to try to get some more support, and some up-and-comers would be nice. Even if we could attract two or three people it would be a start. Hopefully out of everything, if my results did anything I'd hope they'd just encourage people to try stuff." (newshub.co.nz, 25 Feb 2018)
Nicknames	Messy, Messy Mike (Athlete, 17 Jan 2021)
Injuries	He sustained an elbow injury in October 2021. (schaatsen.nl, 13 Oct 2021)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Never give up, keep pushing." (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017)
Milestones	He became the first speed skater representing New Zealand to win a world championship medal by claiming bronze in the 5000m at the 2016 World Single Distances Championships in Gangneung, Republic of Korea. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 09 Feb 2017; isu.org, 04 Dec 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 04 Nov 2021) He became the first speed skater from New Zealand to finish on top of the podium at a World Cup event when he triumphed in the 5000m in 2016 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 09 Feb 2017; isu.org, 04 Dec 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 04 Nov 2021)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (omropfryslan.nl, 18 Sep 2021; petermichael.co.nz, 23 Sep 2021)
Hero / Idol	US boxer Muhammad Ali. (Athlete, 26 Jan 2017)
Awards and honours	In 2014 he was named Sportsperson of the Year in Kapiti, New Zealand. (kapitiindependentnews.net.nz, 11 Nov 2014)
Hobbies	Watching television series and movies, playing video games, listening to music. (nzherald.co.nz, 13 Mar 2019; Athlete, 17 Jan 2021; petermichael.co.nz, 23 Sep 2021)
Memorable sporting achievement	Finishing fourth in both team pursuit and the 5000m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Other sports	He has represented New Zealand in roller speed skating, and won eight titles at the world championships between 2010 and 2016. (SportsDeskOnline, 30 Nov 2016; stuff.co.nz, 14 Sep 2016)