Alexandra Ianculescu

Hobbies	Playing the guitar, cycling, cooking. (Twitter profile, 03 Feb 2021; Instagram profile, 30 Dec 2020)
Other sports	She was the Romanian national champion in roller speed skating in 2007 and 2008. (alexandra-ianculescu.com, 12 Sep 2017)
Famous relatives	Her mother Sanda Turcu competed in speed skating and was the 1986 female overall national champion in Romania. (calgarysun.com, 14 Jun 2020; alexandra-ianculescu.com, 12 Sep 2017)

Reason for choosing this sport

Her mother Sandra was part of the Romanian national skating team. "She insisted I try the sport when we moved to Canada. I have loved it ever since."

Most influential person in career	Her mother, and coach Gregg Planert. (alexandra-ianculescu.ca, 13 May 2020; Athlete, 26 Jan 2017)
Hero / Idol	Japanese speed skater Tomomi Okazaki. (Athlete, 26 Jan 2017)
Ambitions	To compete at the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and 2026. (Instagram profile, 30 Jan 2021; insidethegames.biz, 15 Jun 2020)

Name of coach	Simon Kuipers [personal], NED, from 2020
When and where did you begin this sport?	She initially tried short track at age 10 in Toronto, ON, Canada, with the Cyclones Short Track Club. She began speed skating in 2008 in Calgary, AB, Canada.

Nicknames	Alex (Twitter profile, 28 Nov 2016)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Raise the bar in training every day, so when you race it becomes second nature." (Athlete, 26 Jan 2017)
Other information	TIME IN CANADA She was born in Romania but in 2001 she and her family moved to Toronto, ON, Canada. Growing up she skated for Romania at junior level, but in 2008 she was accepted into the Olympic Oval Programme in Calgary, Alberta, and began representing Canada. Having raced at World Cup events for the Canadian national team, in 2016 she decided to switch nationalities for a second time and return to the colours of Romania in order to improve her chances of competing at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. "I had to step back, and look at the big picture and for me to achieve my goals and to be the best athlete I can become, there was no other way." (insidethegames.biz, 15 Jun 2020; alexandra-ianculescu.com, 12 Sep 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 30 Nov 2016) MOVE TO THE NETHERLANDS In September 2020 she relocated to Heerenveen, Netherlands, to train full-time at the Thialf Academy and prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. She had initially been encouraged to make the move to Europe in 2016 by coach Gregg Planert. "I don't think I was emotionally ready [to move in 2016], and I don't think I was mature enough to be serious about training in another country. So the decision came, literally in five minutes. Gregg has been my mentor, coach, father figure, and friend, for close to a decade. He brought me to a point where we both knew I needed more to improve my performances. I would not be where I am today, nor would I have gone to my first Olympics, without him by my side. I've been here doing the same thing and I want to spice things up. I'm not actually scared [about the move], I'm ecstatic, I'm getting goose-bumps just thinking about it." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Oct 2020; alexandra-ianculescu.ca, 01 Sep 2020, 13 May 2020; insidethegames.biz, 15 Jun 2020; calgarysun.com, 14 Jun 2020) OTHER ACTIVITIES In February 2016 she set up her own business called Body by Alex, which offers online personal training classes. In October 2020 she began working as an inline skating coach at Lindenoord Skeelerclub in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (bodybyalex.ca, 01 Jan 2021; alexandra-ianculescu.ca, 26 Dec 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Oct 2020; calgarysun.com, 14 Jun 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (alexandra-ianculescu.ca, 13 May 2020)

www.alexandra-ianculescu.ca/
www.facebook.com/alexandra.ianculescu
twitter.com/speed_skater