Haralds Silovs

Haralds Silovs is a Latvian long track and former short track speed skater, who became the 2008 European champion in short track. During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, he gained worldwide media attention after competing in the 1500 m short track and 5000 m long track speed skating events in the same day,February. He is the only athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics 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.

Silovs was born in Riga, Latvia, onApril 1986. His mother Signe was a figure skater, and his father Edvins was a track cyclist for the USSR, and his older brother was involved in athletics as well. In addition to speed skating, Silovs became involved in mountain biking, and in 2001 at the age ofhe won the Latvian Junior Championship in that sport.

Source: Wikipedia