Joey Mantia

Speed Skater

"I've spent countless hours burying my body day in and day out to try to be the best in the world at what I do, and it's not possible to keep that up without proper fueling and recovery."

BIOGRAPHY

I'm a Florida native who fell in love with skating at the age of 8. After high school, I decided to put off college and spend the next years competing professionally. At 19, and with some self taught photoshop skills, I moved to Washington state to do in house graphic design for the company that was sponsoring me.

A few years later I moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where I lived and trained until 2011 when I headed to Salt Lake City to pursue long track speed skating. My whole life I've just been a speed junkie who loves going fast on anything with wheels, whether it be skates, bicycles, or motorcycles.

Palmarès

Inline Skating

World Title: 28x

Speedskating

World Title: 3x

2022 Olympic Games

Bronze Medalist

Favorite Strava Segment

Joey's Top Picks

Q&A

What's your favorite quote and where did you hear it?

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine.

I remember the first time I heard that quote I was in high school, watching the movie Without Limits. Ever since then, I've been so inspired by the mindset
Prefontaine had.

What's your favorite website?

YouTube, by a mile. I didn't go to college, but having access to virtually limitless information on YouTube has allowed me to educate myself on everything from astrophysics (big Neil DeGrasse Tyson fan) to cooking.

I've renovated nearly my entire house using mostly YouTube as a reference for things I didn't already know how to do.

What's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you?

When I was 20, I won a car at an inline skating marathon. After the race I was at the prize ceremony and they told me I got to pick whichever car I wanted... I thought they were messing with me, but it turned out to be legit.

Funny story: The winners were expected to drive the cars out of the ceremony tent, but
they were all manual and I couldn't drive manual at the time, so I had to sit in the passenger seat while the team manager drove me out of the tent.

What's your favorite movie and why?

Lucky Number Sleven - What's not to love? Wild plot twists, Lucy Liu in her prime, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman. It's a classic.

Describe yourself in one word.

Eccentric.

Guilty pleasure food item?

The entire Taco Bell menu, I'm ashamed to say.

Where is your "happy" place?

Anywhere in the mountains, trail running, music turned up to 10.

What is your most memorable meal?

Most memorable meal was eating so much I thought I needed to go to the hospital. I went to Sapa for all you can eat sushi once. Ate 11 rolls. I had to physically stop on the drive home and get out of the car and take a moment, doubled over, absolutely miserable. One of my old teammates was with me, he was dying laughing. When I got home I just layed on my bed for an hour until I started to kinda feel like I wasn't going to die anymore. Wouldn't recommend, but I did get my money's worth.

What's your favorite sound?

The National Anthem when standing on top of the podium. there is nothing better.

Finish this sentence: "the world would be a better place if..."

Everyone made the effort to empathize.