535:, but Davis did not make his country's short track team. However, with no other Latvian athletes participating in the 2010 Olympic speed skating competitions, Silovs was able to make both teams for his country. It was his first Olympic Games, and he hoped that being able to compete in multiple events would allow him to acclimate to the level of competition in the Olympics more readily. He also hoped that differences in the two disciplines, between long track which is more demanding of aerobic fitness, and short track, which is more tactically and technically demanding, would mean that he would not be too physically exhausted to be competitive in both events. On 13 February 2010, after competing in the long track event and placing 20th, he skated a warm down lap and took a car across the city from Richmond to the Pacific Coliseum for the short track qualifying event. He qualified for the semifinal race but later failed to qualify for the medal round. In the classification round, he finished in 10th place. Despite his disappointing finishes, Silovs expressed excitement about having the opportunity to compete at all and having set a record as the first person to compete in both speed skating disciplines. However, he admitted that competing in both events on the same day was "a little crazy." He was encouraged by other speed skaters, like
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475:, on 7 April 1986. His mother, Signe, was a figure skater, his father, Edvins, was a track cyclist for the USSR, and his older brother was involved in athletics. In addition to speed skating, Silovs became involved in mountain biking, and in 2001 at age 15, he won the Latvian Junior Championship in that sport.
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In 2007, Silovs had his first major success at the World Cup level of competition, winning a bronze medal in a 1000 m race and placing fifth in two World
Championship events. The following year, in 2008, he won the gold medal at the European Championship in short track when the competition was held
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Silovs holds several national records in both disciplines. For example, in August 2008, he reached new
Latvian records of 37.05 (500 m) and 3:45.13 (3000 m), followed in February 2009 by 6:17.14 (5000 m). These national records were all set in
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He first became interested in speed skating in 1996, but interest in the sport across Latvia was relatively low, and there were few training or competition opportunities. Both Silovs and his brother were invited in 2001 to a training camp in
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531:(5000 m) speed skating and the first to compete in two different disciplines on the same day. Only one other athlete in recent memory had attempted to compete in both sports at the same Games, American
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to compete in both short track and long track events at the same Games and the only athlete to compete in two different disciplines on the same day.
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speed skating events in the same day, 13 February. He is the first athlete in the history of the
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722:"From Long Track to Short Track, an Unprecedented Journey"
568:"Short Track Speed Skating β Biography of SILOVS Haralds"
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Short track speed skaters at the 2010 Winter
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628:"Latvia's quick-change artist makes Olympic history"
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705:"Crosstown Ride to a Speedskating First"
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428:. In 2018, he finished fourth at
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37:World Allround Championships 2013
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187:3000 m: 4:42.344 :
185:1500 m: 2:11.345 (2008)
183:1000 m: 1:07.472 (2013)
902:Latvijas OlimpiskΔ komiteja
852:International Skating Union
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441:Vancouver, British Columbia
181:500 m: 0:36.323 (2013)
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154:World championship wins
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237:European Championships
35:Haralds Silovs at the
521:2010 Winter Olympics
437:2010 Winter Olympics
48:Personal information
16:Latvian speed skater
910:English translation
638:on 27 February 2012
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78:Soviet Union
63:7 April 1986
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940:1986 births
757:19 February
731:19 February
673:19 February
642:18 February
609:19 February
595:"Biography"
574:20 February
533:Shani Davis
525:short track
449:short track
435:During the
420:and former
381:500 m
360:2009 Torino
289:2009 Torino
934:Categories
808:22 January
778:22 January
554:References
529:long track
499:of Italy.
453:long track
418:long track
59:1986-04-07
862:Olympedia
463:Biography
175:Personal
818:cite web
788:cite web
481:Slovakia
364:Overall
330:Overall
258:Overall
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914:archive
899:at the
850:at the
840:at the
548:Germany
519:At the
505:Calgary
432:event.
415:Latvian
177:best(s)
118:Country
101:Website
544:Inzell
473:Latvia
445:Canada
228:Latvia
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208:Men's
130:Latvia
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93:Weight
85:Height
136:Sport
113:Sport
41:Hamar
824:link
810:2008
794:link
780:2008
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675:2010
644:2010
611:2010
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507:and
469:Riga
70:Riga
53:Born
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