Cornelius Kersten couldn't even drive home after his first session back on ice in 18 months - he was that happy.
A bad crash during a training race in 2023 saw the speed skater's world turned upside down as he sustained bruised rips, torn obliques and a torn labral.
With recovery not going the way he had hoped and the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games on his mind, Kersten decided in October 2024 to finally undergo surgery and has been in a state of rehab since, spending time at the Intensive Rehabilitation Unit with the UK Sports Institute.
Unable to even mimic being on ice and get into a skating position until January 2025, it's been a long and stressful road for the 30-year-old, who was flooded with doubts during his time away from the sport he loves.
"The past 18 months have been rough, to say the least," he said.
"When I was able to get back into skate position, there were almost tears of joy, being able to do it pain free as well.
"Being off ice for the longest time in my life, it put doubts in your head, so it was nice to get that confirmation that surgery was worth it."
All doubt was swept away the second Kersten stepped back onto the ice in March 2025 in an emotional moment that left him stuck in a car park trying to process everything he had been through the past year and a half.
"Skating is a feeling and you need to be in touch with the ice. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find that feeling again," he added.
"But after that first training, it clicked immediately and all the emotions from the last six months came out.
"I started the car afterwards and then had to drive into the next car park. I just sat there just decompressing and going through what had just happened."
Kersten's fellow skater - and partner off the ice - Ellia Smeding has also been suffering injury problems, stemming from a hip injury which affected her technique and halted her ability to hit her highs of 55km per hour.
Smeding made the decision to take a step back and rebuild her foundations ahead of the Olympic season, also spending time at UKSI's Intensive Rehabilitation Unit, and credited Kersten for being a guide through the unknown of her first major sporting injury.
"It was the first time my winter season had really been impacted," she said.
"Obviously, I've seen Cornelius struggle with injuries and his ongoing one now. Knowing how he's dealt with injuries really gave me a guideline of staying optimistic and confident and being patient with my time.
"That really helped me through it but it's obviously quite scary when it's your first injury.
"It helped that I was allowed to stay on the ice so I stayed in Holland and did a lot of physio and rehab there.
"I missed Cornelius a lot because he was over in the UK so we spent some time apart. That was really difficult."
Despite being in different countries, the couple were still able to support each other every step of the way in their recoveries.
Kersten added: "Being a couple in high performance has its challenges but it also has its benefits because you both understand why you're doing it and see the pain of the day to day to be there for each other.
"It's nice to have someone who really understands."
With rehab done and dusted and the pair now heading into the off-season, there's the impending knowledge that everything is to play for next winter.
Qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics picks up with the World Cup circuit as both Brits eye the opportunity to represent Team GB for a second time in Italy.
At Beijing 2022, Smeding became the first female long track speed skater to represent Team GB since Kim Ferran and Mandy Horsepool in 1980.
And with sixth place overall and bronze in the 1,000m at the 2023 European Speed Skating Championships, Smeding is not just ready to return to the top 10 - she's ready to go one step further.
"Beijing was a really good stepping stone for me. It was really good for me to be there and experience a Games," she said.
"It set me up for some really strong seasons after that and got me to that next level which really accelerated my progress.
Cornelius Kersten celebrates winning Great Britain's first-ever world speed skating medal 🥉
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) March 4, 2023
That smile 🥺 pic.twitter.com/DrEXgbf3Rq
"I was consistently in the top 10 in the world which is so exciting and it made me focus so much more on going to a second Games.
"I want to level up in Milan and hopefully put down some really strong performances."
A history maker in his own right, Kersten became the first long track speed skater to represent Team GB in 30 years at Beijing 2022.
He later added to his long list of achievements by becoming the first British representative to win a medal at the single distance World Championships in 2023, clinching 1000m bronze.
Now back on the ice and gearing up to join Smeding at Milano Cortina 2026, Kersten knows that there's more history on the cards in his future.
"I still believe I can be better than what I've been before and that's what I'm building to," he said.
"In Olympic season, stakes are higher and I'm really excited for it.
"The World Cups will have lots of pressure because that's how we qualify for the Games and I'm already looking forward to those."
Sportsbeat 2025