Victor AN

Still a junior, An Hyeon-Su competed at the 2002 Winter Games aged 16. He reached the final of the 1000 metres, but fell in the last lap, taking all three others skaters in the pack with him. Only Australian Steven Bradbury, who had been dropped form the pack, was still standing and grabbed the gold. The other skaters scrambled to cross the finish line, with An responding too slow for a medal.

An then became the sport’s dominant racer, winning the overall world title five times in a row (2003–2007), adding a load of distance titles and medals to the lot. He was the most successful competitor at the Turin Olympics, winning three golds in the 1000 m, 1500 m and relay.

In the late 2000s Ahn had a falling-out with the Korean Skating Federation and moved to Russia, gaining Russian citizenship to compete internationally and entered the 2014 Olympic Winter Games as Viktor Ahn and representing Russia.