Women
COL
Laura Isabel Gomez Quintero
COL- Date of birth17 Jul 1990
- Height167 CM
- ProfessionAthlete, Engineer
- HometownNULL
- Place of birthCarmen de Viboral
- Start skating Club She began roller speed skating at age three, and took up speed skating on ice in July 2017.
- HobbiesN/A
- LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
- FamliyPartner Daniel Zapata
- CoachN/A
- ChoreographerN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- Practice low seasonN/A
- Practice high seasonN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
She and cross-country skier Carlos Quintana were flag bearers for Colombia at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (olympics.com, 17 Feb 2022)
She became the first female speed skater representing Colombia to take part in the Olympic Winter Games when she competed in the women's mass start at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Nov 2021)
To become a veterinarian. (elpais.com.co, 16 Feb 2022)
Competing at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (feminadeportes.com, 11 Feb 2021)
SWITCH TO ICE
Her switch from roller speed skating to speed skating on ice was challenging. "Roller speed skating and speed skating are two completely different sports. They only share the name and their techniques are quite the opposite. On ice you skate a lot with the strength of the hip while on roller blades you skate mainly with your thigh quadriceps. The back has to be completely curved while on wheels it has to be straight. The left shoulder on ice has to be always up while on wheels it must be down. On ice, the hip goes always inside while on wheels it goes outside. It is completely opposite in all senses. For us [roller speed skaters] is very difficult because we have to change what we have done all our lives and to adapt to a new sport in a short time." (co.marca.com, 07 Feb 2018)
LATE PYEONGCHANG CALL-UP
She was informed about her selection to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang one week before the Games began, and six months after having taken up the sport. "To be in Korea is a super surprise. It is cold. It is horrible because we are used to the summer all the time but this is the real winter and we are at the winter Olympics." (OIS, 07 Feb 2018)
Her switch from roller speed skating to speed skating on ice was challenging. "Roller speed skating and speed skating are two completely different sports. They only share the name and their techniques are quite the opposite. On ice you skate a lot with the strength of the hip while on roller blades you skate mainly with your thigh quadriceps. The back has to be completely curved while on wheels it has to be straight. The left shoulder on ice has to be always up while on wheels it must be down. On ice, the hip goes always inside while on wheels it goes outside. It is completely opposite in all senses. For us [roller speed skaters] is very difficult because we have to change what we have done all our lives and to adapt to a new sport in a short time." (co.marca.com, 07 Feb 2018)
LATE PYEONGCHANG CALL-UP
She was informed about her selection to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang one week before the Games began, and six months after having taken up the sport. "To be in Korea is a super surprise. It is cold. It is horrible because we are used to the summer all the time but this is the real winter and we are at the winter Olympics." (OIS, 07 Feb 2018)
She has represented Colombia in roller speed skating, and won silver in the road 10,000m points race at the 2019 World Roller Games in Barcelona, Spain. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Nov 2021; infopatin.co, 18 Apr 2017)
She prays and focuses on her breathing before a competition. (olympics.com, 17 Feb 2022)
She followed her brother into roller speed skating. "I began skating at a young age. As my brother used to skate I went along with him. And even if he chose a separate way I kept on skating." She switched to speed skating on ice after missing out on selection for the Colombian roller speed skating team for the 2017 World Roller Games in Nanjing, People's Republic of China. That same year she relocated to Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. "I think I jumped onto the ice more because of the disappointment of not having made the national team, so I looked for a new environment, to discover new cultures and to learn English. I first stayed six months [in the United States of America] but it went a little bit further and brought some magnificent results."
