Felix Rijhnen

Other sports

He also represents Germany in roller speed skating, and won gold in the road marathon event at the 2018 World Championships in Arnhem, Netherlands. (bmw-berlin-marathon.com, 30 Aug 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 24 Sep 2018)

Reason for choosing this sport

He was unable to go roller speed skating on the streets during winter, so he thought he would try speed skating on ice.

Hero / Idol

US speed skater Chad Hedrick. (desg.de, 12 Aug 2014)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began roller speed skating in 1996, and took up speed skating on ice in 2009.

Nicknames

Big Feli (online-skating.com, 03 May 2012)

www.facebook.com/FelixRijhnen
twitter.com/FelixRijhnen

Club / Team

OEC Frankfurt: Germany

Famous relatives	His wife Katharina Rumpus has competed in roller speed skating. She competed in six editions of the world championships between 2013 and 2019. (echo-online.de, 30 Jun 2022; faz.net, 05 Feb 2022; bigwheelblading.com, 15 Sep 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 12 Oct 2023)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (Sportstiftung Hessen Facebook page, 20 Oct 2022)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"All or nothing." (Deutsche Eisschnelllauf und Shorttrack-Gemeinschaft Facebook page, 13 Nov 2022)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (sportschau.de, 14 Nov 2022)
Awards and honours	He was named Athlete of the Year for 2022 by the Hesse State Police in Germany. (Instagram profile, 31 Mar 2023)
Other information	BREAK AND RETURN TO THE ICE In 2015 he decided to end his speed skating career on ice and focus solely on roller speed skating after a disagreement with the German Speed Skating and Short Track Association [DESG]. "They didn't like the fact that I did my own thing in the summer and was into skates. They said if you want to be supported and encouraged, then you have to stop skating. It took a long time for the association to become aware of the fact that athletes careers can be extended by a few years if they have a second source of income. You won't get rich with both sports, but you at least you can earn a living. Inline skating [roller speed skating] is the sport that I am passionate about. The sport made me strong and the athlete I am today." In 2021 he was persuaded to return to the ice by DESG president Matthias Grosse with a view to competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "He called me in January 2021 and said he would like to see me on the ice. He asked me what I needed to get to the Olympics. I wasn't done with it yet and was keen to try the whole thing again." (sportschau.de, 14 Nov 2022)