Cindy Klassen

Cindy Klassen is Canada’s Olympic star. At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Cindy, a Winnipeg native who trained in Calgary, became the first Canadian to win five medals at a single Winter Olympics. She won Gold in the 1500m, Silver in the 1000m, Silver in the Team Pursuit, Bronze in the 5000m and Bronze in the 3000m.

Cindy also captured an Olympic Bronze medal in 2002 making her the most decorated Canadian Winter Olympic athlete in history, with a total of six Olympic medals.

Building on the momentum of her 2002 Olympic success, Cindy put together one of the finest seasons ever by a Canadian athlete on the World Cup speed skating circuit. She became the first Canadian in 27 years to win the overall title at the 2003 World Allround Speed Skating Championships. A month earlier, she finished second overall at the World Sprint Championships – despite not being considered a speed skating “sprinter”. It was the first time in 15 years that a skater had won overall medals at both events in the same year. Cindy capped off a remarkable year by clinching the 1500m World Cup Title.

In 2005 after a come back from a serious injury, Cindy was again on top of the podium. For a second time she won the 1500m World Cup Title and became a double Gold medalist at the World Championships winning both the 1500m and 3000m events.

Before Cindy was hooked by speed skating, she showed promise in a number of other sports. She competed for Canada in In-line Skating at the 1999 Pan Am Games and before that was a member of Canada’s National Junior Women’s Hockey Team in 1996. As a 15 year old, Cindy competed for Canada at the 1994 Commonwealth Games as a member of the women’s Field Lacrosse Team.

With all of Cindy’s energy focused on speed skating, the results have been extraordinary. She is a six-time Olympic medalist and four time World Champion.

In 2019 Cindy was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.