Jan Rossiter will fulfill his Olympic dream on February 14th at the Laura Cross Country Centre when he competes in the 15km Classic Cross Country event for Team Ireland. The Laura Centre has a capacity crowd of 7,500 with circuits that drop 80 metres relative to the stadium. Its 1450 metres above sea level and very challenging. Rossiter said that he even reached up to 70km per hour on one downhill section. The 15km will take place on February 14th at 14.00 Sochi time. Rossiter is coached by experienced Czech Republic coach Petr Jakl.
Profile – Jan Rossiter
Jan was born in Cork, Ireland to an Irish father and Czech mother. He grew up in Kingston, Ontario – a town with a rather Irish climate and no ski club. While completing a degree in Physiology at McGill University he was introduced to cross country ski racing. He then moved to Ottawa to complete a program in respiratory therapy at Algonquin College. Jan is currently living, working and training in Kingston, Ontario.
Jan’s skiing accomplishments include being named MVP of the McGill Nordic Ski team, coaching this team in 2009/2010, and completing the Canadian ski Marathon – Coureur des Bois Gold – three times.
At work in the hospital setting Jan sees the emotional and financial toll that smoking, inactivity and disease take on our society. Besides direct patient care, he is also interested in research in respiratory and environmental physiology.
Jan speaks English and Czech.
Profile – Coach Petr Jakl
Petr has a European coaching background based on extensive coaching, lecturing and teaching experience as well as top-level sports science education. He graduated from a Nordic skiing gymnasium in the Czech Republic. After obtaining his degree in late 1980’s he worked as a teacher and coach at a sports school in the Czech Republic. He worked as the head coach and manager of the Czech National Paralympic Ski Team and led his top skiers to the Paralympics in Salt Lake City, 2002.
