Russian short-track speed skater Sofia Prosvirnova will be part of the Danish national team from next season, she announced.
“The reality is that while I am under the Russian flag I am obliged to stay and train in Russia, which in our situation forces me to return to a long-distance relationship and to be away from my family. The truth is that at this stage I am not ready to make such sacrifices. Values are changing, and now building a family and my psychological health is on par with my sports career. This led me to the decision to change sports citizenship and I am currently in transition to the Danish national team”, wrote Sofia Prosvirnova on social media. “I can proudly say that I managed to win 4 medals from World Championships, 18 from European Championships, and 29 from World Cups for the Russian team. I am grateful to every specialist, coach, and medical staff who helped me achieve such high results, but I especially want to mention my personal trainer Svetlana Tretyakova. My sports career is not over, but it’s time to turn the page”, added the Russian short-track speed skater.
The 25-year-old Sofia Prosvirnova is a two-time silver and two-time bronze medalist from the World Championships. She participated in the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018. The athlete’s husband is speed skating competitor Viktor Hald Thorup from Denmark.
