Kiwi speed skater Peter Michael has found the perfect motivation, as he eyes Winter Olympic redemption for his Pyeongchang disappointment four years ago.
Michael will step down from 5000m to the 1500m distance on Tuesday night (NZ time), hoping to go one better than his fourth over the longer distance in 2018.
From the mountains of Zhangjiakou to the ice of Beijing, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s historic success is resonating throughout the New Zealand team and Michael is the latest to find inspiration in New Zealand’s gold-medal superstar.
"It's super awesome to see Zoi collect that gold," he says. "That really keeps the vibes going.
"It's just awesome to see another Kiwi slaying it. It's really nice, it gives you that feeling of, 'oh, we can do it'."
But while Sadowski-Synnott created New Zealand sporting history with her snowboard slopestyle victory, Michael concedes just getting to the podium will be a tall order for him.
The late change in distance has forced the 32-year-old to rethink his strategy, but he’s becoming more comfortable with the shorter journey.
"Fifteen-hundred metres is a middle distance, but it's kind of a sprint at the same time, so it's been a fine balance between getting the endurance to make the last lap cout, but doing the speedwork for the first part."
But Michael has been through this before and knows what it takes to get into medal contention.
Fourths over 5000m and the team pursuit at Pyeongchang have him hungry for redemption.
"It's just a bit more added motivation, so it's definitely a positive to have that there," he says.
But the iconic mullet that’s been part of his journey hasn’t made a comeback for Beijing.
"We've still just got a little mop-chop going, but don't worry, there's still plenty of days to go."
If Michael can find a way to win without it, the ionic hairdo is unlikely to make a return any time soon.
In a head-to-head format, he's has drawn the first race of 15, timed to start at 11:30pm (NZ time).
