Joo Hyong-Jun

instagram.com/joohyongjun

Club / Team	Uijeongbu City Hall: Korea
Reason for choosing this sport	His parents encouraged him to take up the sport. A coach then suggested he should try speed skating after he missed out on selection for the Korean short track team in 2010.
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began skating at age eight in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He switched to speed skating from short track in 2011.
Name of coach	Jaegal Sung-Yeol [club], KOR; Lee Kang-Seok [club], KOR

Hero / Idol	Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2017)
Awards and honours	Together with international teammates Lee Seung-Hoon and Kim Cheol-Min, he received an Excellent Group Award at the 2014 Coca-Cola Athletics Awards in the Republic of Korea. (timesisa.com, 12 Mar 2014)
Other sports	He has represented the Republic of Korea in short track. He was part of the team that won gold in the 3000m relay at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Chinese Taipei. (hani.co.kr, 23 Feb 2014; SportsDeskOnline, 24 Jan 2014)
Injuries	He injured his left thigh at age 11. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning silver in the team pursuit at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (Athlete, 20 Nov 2019)
Most influential person in career	His parents. (Athlete, 20 Nov 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"There is an opportunity in a difficulty." (Athlete, 20 Nov 2019)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 20 Nov 2019)
Other information	ILLNESS He was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia [low platelet count] in early 2017. His doctor recommended he undergo steroid injections as part of his treatment, but he refused in order to not violate doping regulations. He instead focused on receiving blood transfusions, and was sidelined for six weeks ahead of the 2017/18 season due to the condition. (news1.kr, 14 Feb 2018; sports.khan.co.kr, 14 Feb 2018)
Hobbies	Listening to music, reading books, watching movies. (Athlete, 20 Nov 2019)