Without a little chocolate Santa Claus 12 years ago, the speed skating world might never have heard of Finn Sonnekalb (GER). The German youngster could have gone to the local basketball club just as easy, but when the trainer of the local speed skating club in Erfurt offered the 6-year-old kid the candy Claus, he got on the ice and never got off anymore.

In Salt lake city, the 18-year-old prodigy won his first World Cup medal. After a poor decade, Sonnekalb is Germany’s hope for new Olympic Speed Skating success.

Finn Sonnekalb competes in the Men's 1000m race during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at the Utah Olympic Oval on November 14, 2025 ©ISU

Athletics, speed skating or basketball

As a kid, Sonnekalb ended up on the ice coincidentally, he explained after his World Cup success in Salt Lake City: 

“I was six years old and I was allowed to do one sport. My father took me to the athletics club, but they didn’t have room for me, so we went to the nearby ice rink. There was a Christmas party, and one of the trainers gave me a chocolate Santa Claus. I was sold, My father had to sign, and that’s how I ended up in speed skating.”

We’ll never know what would have happened if the local basketball club would have had a Christmas party that day,  

“Basketball is my favorite sport after speed skating,” the tall German said, "proudly wearing Utah Jazz basketball cap. I was at the NBA game Utah Jazz versus Minnesota Timberwolves the other day. I told my dad, if I’m an Olympic Champion [in speed skating]  I’ll go to the NBA.”

Olympic success

Sonnekalb already won three Junior Olympic titles in 2024. If he manages to win senior Olympic silverware too, he would be the first German speed skater to do so since 2010. The last male skater from Germany to win an Olympic medal was Jens Bode, who took 5000m bronze at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

Finn Sonnekalb competes in the Men's Juniors 1000m race during ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships at Ritten Arena in February 2025 in Bolzano, Italy ©ISU

At that very track, Sonnekalb won his first World Cup medal in the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Salt lake city, breaking the 1500m Junior World Record set by also only 21-year-old Jordan Stolz (USA) in 2023 by a .93s margin.  

What’s the secret behind his speed?

“I don't know. Maybe it’s that I'm a vegetarian, I’ve been that my whole life,” he laughs. “No that’s a joke. I really don’t know.”

Zhongyan Ning(CHN), Jordan Stolz(USA), and Finn Sonnekalb pose on stage with their men's 1500m medals during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at the Utah Olympic Oval on November 15, 2025 ©ISU

After his rock-solid performance in Salt Lake City – apart from his 1500m bronze, Sonnekalb also took fifth place in the 1000m – Sonnekalb set his sight on the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina.

“My goal here in Salt Lake was to qualify for the Olympics, and now I know I have it, so we’ll see. And after the Olympics. I want to go to the Junior World Championships, which is one week later.”

 At the Junior World Championships in Inzell (Germany), Sonnekalb will defend the 1000m and 1500m titles he won last year in Collalbo (Italy).