Kristen Santos-Griswold of the USA Eagles admits that prior to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, winning a medal was an obsession.  

“I thought about the Olympics every minute of every day,” she said about her run-up to the event. “That four years leading up to it, everything I did I was thinking ‘how will this affect my training, my outcome, my race?’ 

“I did everything, but it’s not a sustainable way to live. I forgot to enjoy the other things in life.” 

When her aim didn’t happen – she finished fourth in the 1000m – it was a defining moment. “I got taken out in the last lap and it was hard to handle. I struggled with where I am with this sport.” 

After some consideration, she decided not to step away from the sport, after she had initially planned, and to give it another go. She became a world champion, in the 1000m for the first time last season, and is now skating better than ever.

 “This quad, I want to enjoy every little step of it, and not forget about the journey,” she said. 

From her time with huskies (including a “disaster dog”) through to studying a postgraduate degree, Santos-Griswold is now doing that – and it has helped make her faster than ever, and to become a World Champion.