Cindy Klassen
Encyclopedia
Cindy Klassen, OM
(born August 12, 1979 in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
) is a Canadian long track speed skater. Klassen is a six-time medalist (one gold, two silver, three bronze) at the Winter Olympics. She is tied with Clara Hughes
for Canada's all-time most decorated Olympian
with 6 medals each. Both Klassen and Hughes are from Winnipeg.
Klassen is the only Canadian Olympian to win 5 medals in a single Olympic games and the first female speed skater to win 5 medals in a single games at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin. She is the current world record holder over three distances, the 1,000 m, the 1,500 m, and the 3,000 m. She also holds the Canadian Record over the 5,000 m. Klassen is the leader of the Adelskalender, which is the all-time world ranking for speed skating. In 2003, Klassen became the first Canadian in 27 years to win the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championships
.
Klassen has several major awards and accolades having won the Lou Marsh Trophy
in 2006, which is awarded for Canada's best athlete of the year. Due to her tremendous accomplishments at the 2006 Winter Olympics and her many accomplishments throughout her career, Klassen was named to the Order of Manitoba
. Klassen was awarded the Oscar Mathisen Award
in 2006 for outstanding speed skating performance of the year. In 2007 she was given the award for Female Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sports Awards. Klassen won the 2005 and 2006 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award
as female athlete of the year as presented from the Canadian Press
. She was also tipped as Speed Skating Canada’s 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Female Skater of the Year for long track speed skating. The Canadian Mint featured Klassen on a Canadian quarter in 2010 as part of their Olympic memories editions and as a recognition of her six Olympic medals.
immigrants to Manitoba and is a graduate of Maple Leaf School in the North Kildonan
area of Winnipeg and Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute
in the Elmwood area of Winnipeg. She started her sports career as an ice hockey player at Gateway Community Club in Winnipeg; in her youth she played for the Canadian National Youth Team. When she was not selected for the 1998 Winter Olympics
, she switched to speed skating and soon she proved to be a natural talent.
Klassen missed the entire 2003–2004 season due to a serious injury: she fell during training, colliding with another skater, hitting his skate, and as a result cutting 12 tendons in her right
arm.
in Turin, Italy, although she had not yet been asked. The flag was instead carried by women's ice hockey veteran Danielle Goyette
.
Going into the 2006 Winter Olympics
Klassen was considered one of the favourites following her allround title in 2003
and two world distance titles in 2005
. Klassen started out in Turin by winning a silver in the 1,000 m, narrowly missing out on gold. Following this silver Klassen became Olympic champion in the 1,500 m. She followed this thrilling gold with a silver in the women's team pursuit, and bronze in the 3,000 m and 5,000 m. Following her 5th and final medals of the games on February 26, 2006 Klassen said of her success that "Going in to the Games, I thought maybe the 1,500 and 3,000 would be my strong point and maybe I could get a medal in those. To come out with five, it's been better than expected and really a dream come true."
Klassen became the first Canadian to win five medals in one Olympic Games
. With this achievement, she tied American Eric Heiden's
record of five medals won at an Olympics (1980
) by a speedskater. At the same time, she overtook the previous Canadian record of most medals (three) in 1984
, held by Gaetan Boucher
. Klassen also became the first female speed skater to win five medals in a single Olympics, surpassing Lidiya Skoblikova's 4 medals in the 1964 Olympics
. Combined with her bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics
, she became the first Canadian to win six career Olympic medals, surpassing the five medal mark set previously by Marc Gagnon
and Phil Edwards and matched in the same race by winner Clara Hughes
at the same 2006 Winter Olympic games.
After her success at the Turin Olympics, she was named flagbearer for the closing ceremony
. Her winning the largest number of medals at the Turin Olympics caused IOC
president Jacques Rogge
to call her the "woman of the games". The following day, February 27, Klassen signed the most lucrative endorsement deal ever for a Canadian amateur athlete, with Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS)
, estimated at about $1 million. Klassen also signed an endorsement deal with McDonald's. On December 11, she was named as the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy
as Canadian athlete of the year, beating out the likes of Joe Thornton
, Justin Morneau
, Steve Nash
and team mate Clara Hughes
.
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In preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, Klassen decided not to participate in the fall races for the Speed Skating World Cup
. She returned to competition in 2008 but decided to cut the skating season short in February 2008 after her sister was in a near-fatal accident. She also said that she will only focus on the World Single Distance Championships. Defending her all-around title and high World Cup classifications are not her main goal for the season. Later that year in July 2008 Klassen had surgery to repair damage done to her knees over her career and in high school basketball. The surgeries would keep her from competing in the 2008–09 World Cup
. Sometime later in 2009, her doctor discussed her knees saying that "These things don't go away, they're not cured. It's not like a broken bone that once it's healed it's back to good strength and can take stress. It's not like that. It's never going to be perfectly normal. It's not possible to get that." He later added that the only way her knees would stop degenerating would be for Klassen to stop speed skating.
On January 5, 2010 the Royal Canadian Mint
announced that they were minting 22 million Canadian quarters
with an image of Klassen in a speed skating pose on it. 3 million of the quarters were minted with a red maple leaf
on it. The mint issued the quarters as an honour to Klassen's 6 medals in the Olympics, and as part of their Olympic Moments quarter-coins series.
Coming back from double knee-surgery and two years off of skating, Klassen's main goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was simply to compete. Klassen saying that ""My goal is just to qualify. To get there would be great." She failed to medal in 2010, placing 21st in the 1500 m
, 14th in the 3000 m
, and 12th in the 5000 m
. Klassen was also named as an alternate in the Team Pursuit. While Klassen stated that she was unsure of whether she would continue speed skating after the games, she believed that her knees would hold out and that the 2014 Sochi Olympics
were a possibility.
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s.
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
(born August 12, 1979 in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) is a Canadian long track speed skater. Klassen is a six-time medalist (one gold, two silver, three bronze) at the Winter Olympics. She is tied with Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes, OC, OM is a Canadian cyclist and speed skater, and has won multiple Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes won two bronze in the Summer Olympics in 1996 and four medals over the course of three Winter Olympics...
for Canada's all-time most decorated Olympian
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
with 6 medals each. Both Klassen and Hughes are from Winnipeg.
Klassen is the only Canadian Olympian to win 5 medals in a single Olympic games and the first female speed skater to win 5 medals in a single games at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin. She is the current world record holder over three distances, the 1,000 m, the 1,500 m, and the 3,000 m. She also holds the Canadian Record over the 5,000 m. Klassen is the leader of the Adelskalender, which is the all-time world ranking for speed skating. In 2003, Klassen became the first Canadian in 27 years to win the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championships
World Speed Skating Championships
The International Skating Union organises the following World Championships in the sport of speed skating:* Allround** Men's Allround** Women's Allround* Sprint** Men's Sprint** Women's Sprint* Men's Single Distances* Women's Single Distances* Short Track...
.
Klassen has several major awards and accolades having won the Lou Marsh Trophy
Lou Marsh Trophy
The Lou Marsh Trophy, also known as the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, with the vote taking place in December. It was first awarded in 1936...
in 2006, which is awarded for Canada's best athlete of the year. Due to her tremendous accomplishments at the 2006 Winter Olympics and her many accomplishments throughout her career, Klassen was named to the Order of Manitoba
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
. Klassen was awarded the Oscar Mathisen Award
Oscar Mathisen Award
Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season...
in 2006 for outstanding speed skating performance of the year. In 2007 she was given the award for Female Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sports Awards. Klassen won the 2005 and 2006 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award
Bobbie Rosenfeld Award
The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is an annual award given to Canada's female athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top female in 1933, naming golfer Ada Mackenzie the winner. The CP formalized the poll into an award in 1978,...
as female athlete of the year as presented from the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
. She was also tipped as Speed Skating Canada’s 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Female Skater of the Year for long track speed skating. The Canadian Mint featured Klassen on a Canadian quarter in 2010 as part of their Olympic memories editions and as a recognition of her six Olympic medals.
Career
Klassen is a descendant of MennoniteMennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
immigrants to Manitoba and is a graduate of Maple Leaf School in the North Kildonan
North Kildonan
-History:Originally there was only one large rural municipality known as Kildonan. In 1914, it was divided into the Rural Municipality of West Kildonan and the R.M. of East Kildonan. A petition to the provincial government led to a further division of East Kildonan.On January 1, 1925, the...
area of Winnipeg and Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute
Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute
The Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute is a private Mennonite Brethren Christian school located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was founded in 1945...
in the Elmwood area of Winnipeg. She started her sports career as an ice hockey player at Gateway Community Club in Winnipeg; in her youth she played for the Canadian National Youth Team. When she was not selected for the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, she switched to speed skating and soon she proved to be a natural talent.
Klassen missed the entire 2003–2004 season due to a serious injury: she fell during training, colliding with another skater, hitting his skate, and as a result cutting 12 tendons in her right
arm.
Record Success
In 2006, she announced she would not carry the Canadian flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy....
in Turin, Italy, although she had not yet been asked. The flag was instead carried by women's ice hockey veteran Danielle Goyette
Danielle Goyette
Danielle Goyette is a retired women's ice hockey player, and has been on the Canadian national team.-Hockey Canada:...
.
Going into the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
Klassen was considered one of the favourites following her allround title in 2003
World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women
The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women since 1936. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1933-1935.-Distances used:...
and two world distance titles in 2005
World Single Distance Championships for Women
The International Skating Union has organised the World Single Distance Championships for Women since 1996.-Locations:* 1996 Hamar, Norway* 1997 Warsaw, Poland* 1998 Calgary, Canada* 1999 Heerenveen, Netherlands* 2000 Nagano, Japan...
. Klassen started out in Turin by winning a silver in the 1,000 m, narrowly missing out on gold. Following this silver Klassen became Olympic champion in the 1,500 m. She followed this thrilling gold with a silver in the women's team pursuit, and bronze in the 3,000 m and 5,000 m. Following her 5th and final medals of the games on February 26, 2006 Klassen said of her success that "Going in to the Games, I thought maybe the 1,500 and 3,000 would be my strong point and maybe I could get a medal in those. To come out with five, it's been better than expected and really a dream come true."
Klassen became the first Canadian to win five medals in one Olympic Games
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
. With this achievement, she tied American Eric Heiden's
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
record of five medals won at an Olympics (1980
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
) by a speedskater. At the same time, she overtook the previous Canadian record of most medals (three) in 1984
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
, held by Gaetan Boucher
Gaétan Boucher
Gaétan Boucher, OC, CQ is a former Speed skating Olympic champion from Canada.A four-time Olympic medalist, Boucher was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's outstanding male athlete of 1984. He was named number 10 on the list of Canada's Athletes of the 20th Century...
. Klassen also became the first female speed skater to win five medals in a single Olympics, surpassing Lidiya Skoblikova's 4 medals in the 1964 Olympics
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
. Combined with her bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, she became the first Canadian to win six career Olympic medals, surpassing the five medal mark set previously by Marc Gagnon
Marc Gagnon
Marc Gagnon is a French Canadian short track speed skater. He is a four-time Overall World Champion for 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, and winner of three Olympic gold medals....
and Phil Edwards and matched in the same race by winner Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes, OC, OM is a Canadian cyclist and speed skater, and has won multiple Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes won two bronze in the Summer Olympics in 1996 and four medals over the course of three Winter Olympics...
at the same 2006 Winter Olympic games.
After her success at the Turin Olympics, she was named flagbearer for the closing ceremony
2006 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics took place on February 26, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy.-Program:...
. Her winning the largest number of medals at the Turin Olympics caused IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
president Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
to call her the "woman of the games". The following day, February 27, Klassen signed the most lucrative endorsement deal ever for a Canadian amateur athlete, with Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS)
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
, estimated at about $1 million. Klassen also signed an endorsement deal with McDonald's. On December 11, she was named as the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy
Lou Marsh Trophy
The Lou Marsh Trophy, also known as the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, with the vote taking place in December. It was first awarded in 1936...
as Canadian athlete of the year, beating out the likes of Joe Thornton
Joe Thornton
Joseph Eric Thornton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . He was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play seven seasons with the club, five as its Captain. During the...
, Justin Morneau
Justin Morneau
Justin Ernest George Morneau is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins. At 6 feet 4 inches and 225 lbs, Morneau was originally drafted as a catcher by the Twins in 1999. He converted to first base in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2003...
, Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
and team mate Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes, OC, OM is a Canadian cyclist and speed skater, and has won multiple Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes won two bronze in the Summer Olympics in 1996 and four medals over the course of three Winter Olympics...
.
Surgery and the 2010 Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Klassen decided not to participate in the fall races for the Speed Skating World Cup
Speed Skating World Cup
The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held...
. She returned to competition in 2008 but decided to cut the skating season short in February 2008 after her sister was in a near-fatal accident. She also said that she will only focus on the World Single Distance Championships. Defending her all-around title and high World Cup classifications are not her main goal for the season. Later that year in July 2008 Klassen had surgery to repair damage done to her knees over her career and in high school basketball. The surgeries would keep her from competing in the 2008–09 World Cup
2008–09 Speed Skating World Cup
The 2008-09 Speed Skating World Cup is an international speedskating competition which runs the entire season. The official name is Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating 2008-2009. The season started on November 7, 2008 in Berlin and came to an end on March 8, 2009 in Salt Lake City...
. Sometime later in 2009, her doctor discussed her knees saying that "These things don't go away, they're not cured. It's not like a broken bone that once it's healed it's back to good strength and can take stress. It's not like that. It's never going to be perfectly normal. It's not possible to get that." He later added that the only way her knees would stop degenerating would be for Klassen to stop speed skating.
On January 5, 2010 the Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
announced that they were minting 22 million Canadian quarters
Quarter (Canadian coin)
The quarter is a Canadian coin, valued at 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice it is simply called a quarter.-History of...
with an image of Klassen in a speed skating pose on it. 3 million of the quarters were minted with a red maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
on it. The mint issued the quarters as an honour to Klassen's 6 medals in the Olympics, and as part of their Olympic Moments quarter-coins series.
Coming back from double knee-surgery and two years off of skating, Klassen's main goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was simply to compete. Klassen saying that ""My goal is just to qualify. To get there would be great." She failed to medal in 2010, placing 21st in the 1500 m
Speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres
The women's 1500 metres speed skating competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was held at the Richmond Olympic Oval on .-Records:Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows....
, 14th in the 3000 m
Speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres
The women's 3000 metres speed skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Richmond Olympic Oval on 14 February 2010.-Records:Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows....
, and 12th in the 5000 m
Speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 5000 metres
The women's 5000 metres speed skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Richmond Olympic Oval on 24th February 2010.-Records:Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.-Results:...
. Klassen was also named as an alternate in the Team Pursuit. While Klassen stated that she was unsure of whether she would continue speed skating after the games, she believed that her knees would hold out and that the 2014 Sochi Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
were a possibility.
Present
Klassen qualified for the 2010–11 World Cup in October 2010. Of qualifying, her ongoing injury struggles, and surgery recover Klassen said that “I’m just going to go out and do the best that I can and see what happens. My knees still hurt. Some days are better than others. There’s always aches and pains in skating . . . for me I feel like I’m more of a work skater than technical skater. I’ve been able to do harder training this year than I have in the past, which is a good thing because that’s kind of my strong point so I’ll see where that takes me. It’s been fun but it’s been really hard, too.” At the first meet of the World Cup season Klassen got her first individual podium result for the first time since the 2007–08 season. Klassen finished second in the 3,000 m and followed that placing up with a fourth place finish in the 1,500 m the next day.Medals
- 2002
- Bronze medal 3000 m at the Winter Olympics2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City
- Bronze medal 3000 m at the Winter Olympics
- 2003
- World allround championWorld Allround Speed Skating ChampionshipsThe World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
- World allround champion
- 2005
- World champion 1500 m and 3000 m at the World Single Distance ChampionshipsWorld Single Distance ChampionshipsThe World Single Distance Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.-History:Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple distances – four different distances for the allround...
- Silver medal at the World allround championshipsWorld Allround Speed Skating ChampionshipsThe World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
- World champion 1500 m and 3000 m at the World Single Distance Championships
- 2006
- Gold medal and Olympic champion 1500 m at the Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - Bronze medal 3000 m at the Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - Silver medal Team Pursuit at the Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - Silver medal 1000 m at the Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - Bronze medal 5000 m at the Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - World allround championWorld Allround Speed Skating ChampionshipsThe World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
- Gold medal and Olympic champion 1500 m at the Winter Olympics
- 2007
- Bronze medal at the WM Sprint Championships
- Bronze medal at the World allround championshipsWorld Allround Speed Skating ChampionshipsThe World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
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Awards
- 2005
- Winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld AwardBobbie Rosenfeld AwardThe Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is an annual award given to Canada's female athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top female in 1933, naming golfer Ada Mackenzie the winner. The CP formalized the poll into an award in 1978,...
as Canadian female Athlete of the Year
- Winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award
- 2006
- Winner of the Lou Marsh TrophyLou Marsh TrophyThe Lou Marsh Trophy, also known as the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, with the vote taking place in December. It was first awarded in 1936...
as Canadian Athlete of the Year - Winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld AwardBobbie Rosenfeld AwardThe Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is an annual award given to Canada's female athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top female in 1933, naming golfer Ada Mackenzie the winner. The CP formalized the poll into an award in 1978,...
as Canadian female Athlete of the Year
- Winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy
- 2008
- Featured on a special edition of the 2009 25 cent Canadian coin. She is one of the few living people (other than a reigning monarch) to be featured on coinage.
|}
Records
As of February 2010, she is the current holder of the world record at the 1,000 m, the 1,500 m, and the 3,000 m and is also the leader of the Adelskalender, the all-time world ranking. The 1:51.79 she skated on the 1,500 m on November 20, 2005 is a phenomenal time; almost 1.5 seconds faster than the previous world record. As a reference, this would have been a world record for men in 1994 before the introduction of clap skateClap skate
The clap skate is a type of ice skate used in speed skating. Unlike in traditional skates where the blade is rigidly fixed to the boot, clap skates have the blade attached to the boot by a hinge at the front...
s.
- All information from Speed Skating Canada records page and Cindy Klassen's SSC profile
See also
External links
- Cindy Klassen's official homepage
- "Canada’s greatest Olympian Cindy Klassen and MTS form winning team with major sponsorship deal" – MTSManitoba Telecom ServicesManitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
press release, 27 February 2006 - Cindy Klassen biography and result listings – At SkateResults.com
- Cindy Klassen biography – At Speed Skating Canada
- Photos of Cindy Klassen – At Lars Hagen's DESG Photo website