Roberts Krūzbergs has secured Latvia’s first medal outside of the ice rink at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, a triumph fueled by both unwavering determination and a sense of inner peace that helped him navigate the challenges of Latvian short track. His older brother, Kārlis’s bronze medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival ten years ago, served as an early stepping stone for the Krūzberg family’s success in Milan.
The Krūzberg family home in Ventspils is still buzzing with the excitement of the Olympic medal. Roberts is still adjusting to the attention, fielding requests from well-wishers. His parents, Ilze and Raivo, are also enjoying the spotlight, a moment they’ve earned and are savoring alongside the memories of their time in Milan.
A local Milanese tradition holds that rubbing the left heel on the symbol of Turin – the bull’s virility – and turning around three times counterclockwise will make your wish come true.
“We rubbed the bull with our heels. I said we had to test if it really worked. And it does! It works. The first time he finished 5th [in the 1000m], I rubbed the wrong foot. So we went back specifically to rub it with the correct foot,” explained Roberts’s father, Raivo Krūzbergs.
All three Krūzberg sons have been training in short track since the age of 5 or 6, but Roberts possesses an exceptional calmness.
“I don’t understand how he can be so calm on the starting line. We’re jumping out of our seats with stress back home. Mom even goes to another room when it’s the final,” laughed Raivo Krūzbergs. “I often don’t watch. I was watching it half-closed eyes even in Milan,” added Roberts’s mother, Ilze Krūzberga.
Kārlis Krūzbergs, Deputy Commander of the Ventspils division of the State Fire and Rescue Service, is a man his brother can always rely on. That’s according to the Ventspils division commander. Roberts showed the medal to the fire and rescue service immediately upon his return.
“Here’s the reserve vehicle, the main car, and next to it is a boat that goes out to assist people in inland waters,” explained firefighter-rescuer and short track coach Kārlis Krūzbergs, giving his brother a tour of the VUGD facility. “Chemical hazard situations… Look, there are two tanks behind you. Regular cars only have one. Here, there’s a double.”
Roberts Krūzbergs joked that short track doesn’t require carrying anything like that: “Imagine skating with 25 kilograms on your back…”
Kārlis ended his active short track career at age 20 due to injury, and unlike his brother, found the pressure too intense, but his athletic training proved ideal for a career in the Fire and Rescue Service.
“I had recently finished my [short track] career, about three or four months had passed and I wasn’t training during that period. I passed the entrance exams quite well. Short track and sports give you so much that you can then use in various industries. We have several colleagues here [at VUGD] who are coaches at sports schools. Sports and the service are closely linked,” explained Kārlis Krūzbergs.
Roberts added that everyone at the VUGD has a firm handshake.
During the COVID period, both Kārlis and Roberts earned Level 1 Higher Professional Education Coach diplomas over two years. Kārlis works at the Ventspils Sports School, while Roberts has trained with the Polish national team in recent years, but also skated in Ventspils before the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
Roberts hadn’t skated for three weeks before stepping onto the ice in Ventspils with his Olympic medal to inspire young short track athletes.
“I brought the medal for you to see. I won’t be giving it away this time – you can even take it out [of the case],” Roberts encouraged the young athletes. “I already told the students today what went into this medal…”
Irina Ozola, Roberts’s very first coach, emphasizes that the medal is the result of hard work and dedication towards a goal.
“You have to work towards your goal, and it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work out, if there are unsuccessful starts. But he overcame falls and injuries to win the medal because Roberts works very hard,” emphasized coach Ozola. “He worked diligently from the beginning, was focused, and had very good physical development and coordination, which is why he grew into a very good athlete.”
Coach Ozola still works with children as young as five years old.
Since 2006, Latvia has been represented in short track at all Winter Olympic Games, but the sport’s development has been uneven due to its competitive nature and internal conflicts.
“There are talented children. There are generations – they change over the years. This one is too – both the middle and large groups are talented, and the little ones are too. Every year it’s like that – we can choose,” Ozola said, describing the interest in short track.
The main problem in short track is a classic issue – what do talented young athletes do after finishing high school and their junior years? Currently, further development in Latvia is almost impossible.
“Now the question is whether to create a national training center in Riga. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it will be implemented and that short track can finally begin serious development,” noted Kārlis Krūzbergs. He is confident that the center would provide young people with a place to continue their careers in the sport.
Roberts Krūzbergs also stresses the need for a short track elite center.
At 24 years old, Roberts has already worked with 11 coaches.
“The plan is to create a center in Riga similar to the one in Jelgava, but more professional. We’re talking to teams from abroad, with Belgians saying they could conclude a four-year cooperation agreement,” explained the Olympic medalist. “It’s a big task for the country to support us and see the potential in us and take a risk. If we build this center in Riga, I can compete, Reinis [Bērziņš] can train, and this team with the Belgians, and the Norwegians have also expressed interest in joining. The plan is good, but will it be realized…”
A short track elite center is truly vital. Even if not all talented young people become Olympians, the Krūzberg family is a clear example of the role of sport in society. Three sons – one a student at the Defence Academy, another a firefighter-rescuer, and the third an Olympic medalist.
Iezīmējiet tekstu un spiediet Ctrl+Enter, lai nosūtītu labojamo teksta fragmentu redaktoram! Par faktu kļūdām lūdzam ziņot e-pastā [email protected].
Iezīmējiet tekstu un spiediet uz Ziņot par kļūdu pogas, lai nosūtītu labojamo teksta fragmentu redaktoram!
