Ireen Wüst

Ireen Wüst
Personal information
Born	(1986-04-01) April 1, 1986 (age 26) Goirle, Netherlands
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	63 kg (140 lb; 9.9 st)
Website	http://www.ireenwust.nl
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Turned pro	2005
Medal record Women's speed skating Competitor for the  Netherlands Olympic Games Gold 2006 Turin 3000 m Gold 2010 Vancouver 1500 m Bronze 2006 Turin 1500 m World Allround Championships Gold 2007 Heerenveen Allround Gold 2011 Calgary Allround Gold 2012 Moskou Allround Silver 2008 Berlin Allround Bronze 2009 Hamar Allround Bronze 2010 Heerenveen Allround World Sprint Championships Silver 2007 Hamar Sprint World Single Distance Championships Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 1000 m Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 1500 m Gold 2011 Inzell 1500 m Gold 2011 Inzell 3000 m Gold 2008 Nagano Team pursuit Gold 2012 Heerenveen Team pursuit Silver 2011 Inzell 1000 m Silver 2009 Vancouver 1500 m Silver 2012 Heerenveen 1500 m Silver 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Silver 2009 Vancouver Team pursuit Silver 2011 Inzell Team pursuit Bronze 2012 Heerenveen 3000 m European Allround Championships Gold 2008 Kolomna Allround Silver 2007 Collalbo Allround Silver 2010 Hamar Allround Silver 2011 Collalbo Allround Bronze 2006 Hamar Allround Bronze 2012 Budapest Allround

Ireen Wüst (born April 1, 1986, in Goirle, Noord-Brabant) is a Dutch long track allround speed skater.

At the age of 19, on February 12, 2006, Wüst won the gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games 3000-meter event. She is the youngest Dutch Olympic champion in Winter Games history. Wüst is openly lesbian.^[1]

Skating career[link]

Wüst debuted at the 2004 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships in November 2003 with 9th places in 500 m and 1500 m. At the end of the season she won the silver medal in the world junior championships in Roseville, Minnesota, USA. The next season she qualified for the 2004-05 Speed Skating World Cup during the 2005 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships with a 5th place in the 1000 m and 4th place in the 1500 m. With a 3rd place at the 2005 KNSB Dutch Allround Championships she qualified for her first international senior tournament, the 2005 European Championships in Heerenveen. There she came 4th and secured herself a spot in the Dutch team for the 2005 World Allround Championships in Moscow, Russia, where she finished in 5th place. She then became World Junior Champion in Seinäjoki, Finland.

Season 2005–2006[link]

Before the start of the season Wüst signed a deal with TVM and started training under the guidance of Gerard Kemkers. At the 2006 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships, which also served as the Olympic Trials, Wüst won the 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000 m, which gave her a spot in the Dutch Olympic Team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Before the Olympics she started in the 2006 European Championships in Hamar where she won the bronze medal behind Claudia Pechstein of Germany and teammate Renate Groenewold.

2006 Olympic Games in Turin[link]

At the Olympics her first distance was the 3000 m^[2] where Wüst beat Groenewold and Cindy Klassen of Canada and became the youngest olympic champion from the Netherlands in the history of the Winter Olympics. She missed out the podium in the 1000 m finishing 4th. At her last event the 1500 m she won a bronze medal behind Cindy Klassen and Kristina Groves of Canada. At her last event of the season the 2006 World Allround Championships, Wüst ended 4th after she had been ill a few days before the tournament.^{[citation needed]}

After the end of the season Ireen Wüst was elected as the best Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 2006.^[3] She also became the female skater of the year.

Season 2006–2007[link]

Wüst started the season with two titles and one second place at the 2007 Dutch Distance Championships. She also won the 2007 Dutch Allround Championships.At the 2007 European Championships Wüst led the championships after 3 of 4 distances but was beaten by Martina Sáblíková. The next weekend she competed in the 2007 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, receiving the silver medal again. At the European Championships when she became World Allround Champion during the 2007 World Allround Championships for the homecrowd in Heerenveen. She won the 2006-07 Speed Skating World Cup in the 1500 m after winning two of the six races, as well as the 1000 m during the World Cup Final in Calgary. At the 2007 World Distance Championships she won gold medals in the 1000 m, breaking the national record, and the 1500 m. With Renate Groenewold and Paulien van Deutekom she won silver in the team pursuit behind Canada.

Season 2007–2008[link]

After a difficult start to the season Ireen Wüst won the European title all round in January 2008.^[4] Her main competitor this year was Paulien van Deutekom. Wüst ended 2nd behind van Deutekom during the World Allround Championships in Berlin. In Nagano during the 2008 World Distance Championships she won the gold medal in the team pursuit alongside Groenewold and Van Deutekom. Wüst won only one world race this season, the 1500 m in Hamar.

2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver[link]

At the Olympics she won a gold medal at the 1500 m.^[5]

Records[link]

Personal Records[link]

Personal records
Women's speed skating
Distance	Time	Date	Location	Notes
500 m	38.44	February 9, 2007	Heerenveen
1000 m	1:13.83	March 11, 2007	Salt Lake City	NR
1500 m	1:52.38	March 3, 2007	Calgary	ER
3000 m	3.58,01	February 12, 2011	Calgary
5000 m	6:55.85	February 13, 2011	Calgary
Women's team pursuit	2:59.18	March 10, 2007	Salt Lake City

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Photos of Ireen Wüst

Awards
Preceded by Edith van Dijk	Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Marleen Veldhuis
Preceded by Marianne Timmer	Ard Schenk Award 2007	Succeeded by Paulien van Deutekom
Preceded by Margot Boer	Ard Schenk Award 2010, 2011	Succeeded by incumbent

Lange Frans
Background information
Birth name	Frans Christiaan Frederiks
Also known as	Lange Frans, Areka
Born	(1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 31)
Origin	Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Genres	Hip hop, Urban music
Occupations	Rapper, radio personality, TV presenter, record producer
Years active	1996 – present
Labels	TopNotch
Associated acts	D-Men, Brutus, Lange Frans & Baas B
Website	Official Site

Frans Christiaan Frederiks known by his stage name Lange Frans (born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on 12 November 1980) is a Dutch rapper and television presenter. Earlier he was part of the band D-Men. Between 2004 and 2008 he was part of Lange Frans & Baas B duo before going solo.

Starting 2008, he also worked for Dutch television station Veronica presenting programs including "My Best Friends", "Veronica Poker", "Lange Frans stelt Kamervragen", "Fobiac" and "Face It!".

In D-Men[link]

In 1997, he was a founding member of a band alongside his rapper brother Brutus Frederiks and childhood friend Bart Zeilstra better known as Baas B. After a freestyle session on a basketball court in Diemen-Zuid, they created hiphop band D-Men.^[1] The English pronunciation of "D-Men" is similar to the Dutch pronunciation of the name of their home town. As D-Men they released their first single entitled "Zoveel Mensen" ("So Many People"), and in 2001, they won a talent contest that was organised by Stichting Grap ("Joke Foundation") in 2001. In later years, many artists joined D-Men, namely Brace, Yes-R & Soesi B, Negativ and DJ MBA.

In Lange Frans & Baas B[link]

Lange Frans & Baas B

In 2004, Frans and Bart Zeilstra already in D-Men formed the duo Lange Frans & Baas B and had a successful career for more than 4 years with three albums Supervisie (2004), Het land van (2005) and Verder (2008) and a number of singles the most successful of which were "Moppie", "Zinloos" both in 2004 and "Mee naar Diemen-Zuid" in 2005. After the murder of Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004 the single "Zinloos" was adapted and some of the lyrics amended to mourn in death. The band split up in March 2009.

The duo came under criticism for over-commercialization of his music from D-Men colleague Negativ and from other Dutch rappers Def P and Kimo.

Solo music and radio/TV career[link]

Lange Frans continued his solo career with varied success. His biggest commercial success was with the single "Zing voor me" featuring Thé Lau. It reached #5 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

He has a 2-hour radio program Lange Frans Goes Wild on WILD FM broadcast on prime time between 7 and 9 pm.^[2] Together with his brother Brutus, he also had a weekly radio show at hip-hop station Lijn5 under the latter's demise.

Personal life[link]

Lange Frans performing in Koninginnedagviering held in Delft in 2007

• Lange Frans (real name Frans Christiaan Frederiks) is the younger brother of Dutch rapper Brutus (full name Thijs Frederiks)
• Before taking the stage name Lange Frans, he used the name Akela
• On 24 March 2006, Lange Frans hit a school student during a performance. Someone had thrown an ice cube at Lange Frans's head protesting some of the lyrics he had used on stage, whereupon Lange Frans jumped from the stage and hit a student. The victim turned out not to have thrown the ice cube. Due to this incident, Lange Frans was not allowed to perform at a Liberation Day music festival in Haarlem.^[3]
• In November 2006 he took part with Frans Bauer and Ali B in a charity single "De leipe Bauer flavour" about victims of landmines.
• Lange Frans married former rider on 9 June 2008 former sportswoman and horse rider Daniëlle van Aalderen. They have one child, a son named Hendrikus Frederick William French born 21 August 2008.
• He took part in a number of television programs including:
  • Hider in the House (Dutch series, season 1)
  • 2009: Van Zon op Zaterdag
  • 2010: Gehaktdag
  • 2010: Expeditie Robinson

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

In Lange Frans & Baas B

Solo

Mixtapes[link]

In D-Men

• 2003: De Straatremixes
• 2004: De Straatremixes Deel 2
• 2004: De Straatremixes Deel 3

Singles[link]

In D-Men

In Lange Frans & Baas B

Solo

Songs and collaborations except for Lange Frans and Bass B[link]

• 2003: "Strippenkaart"
• 2003: "Spreek"
• 2004: "Troonrede"
• 2004: "Pannenkoek" (diss track for Awa)
• 2004: "André" (tribute to André Hazes)
• 2005: "Doofpot"
• 2005: "Testament"
• 2005: "Ik mis je ook"
• 2005: "Kijk ze gek doen"
• 2005: "Les geleerd" (met Brace)
• 2006: "De rijken moeten niet zeiken" (with Jort Kelder)
• 2006: "Als je maar gelukkig bent" (with Gordon)
• 2006: "De deal"
• 2006: "Dit moet een zondag zijn" (F. Frederiks, B. Zeilstra, M. Jafri, L. Jermias, A. Krabman)
• 2006: "De leipe Bauer flavour" with Frans Bauer and Ali B (charity single)
• 2007: "Geil" (with Rowena en Jalise)
• 2007: "Flappen" (with Brutus and Zwarte Sjaak)
• 2007: "Mokum" (with Zwarte Sjaak)
• 2007: "Het zwaard van Damocles" (with Sef Thissen)
• 2007: "Buitenvrouw" (with PLS)
• 2007: "Stem van de Straat"
• 2007: "Nieuwe lichting" (with Extince)
• 2008: "Creme de la Creme" (with OFAH^{[disambiguation needed ]})
• 2008: "Motten" (with Willie Wartaal)
• 2008: "Kanonkoppen" (freestyle) (with Brutus)
• 2008: "Nachtwerk" (with Jobba)
• 2008: "De reünie" (with Negativ)
• 2008: "Ik word gek" (with DJ MBA and Yes-R)
• 2009: "Zonnebril" (101barz)
• 2009: "Delilah" (3FM mix) (with Jayh)
• 2009: "Blijf komen" (with Brutus)
• 2009: "Shit die je zoekt" (with Mitta^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Negativ, Blexxx, Spanker, Dicecream, Nino, Gibba, Lucky LuQ, Nina en T-Slash)
• 2009: "Niet naar huis" (with Jayh, Big2, Rocks, Kempi, Brainpower and RBDjan)
• 2009: "Me boy" (remix with Yes-R and Ali B)
• 2010: "Wolken remix" (with Flinke Namen)
• 2010: "Blauw suede schoenen"
• 2010: "White Choco" (with Yes-R, Sjaak, DJ Issy)
• 2010: "Ik ga voor du top baby" (with Kempi, Ali B and Jayh)
• 2010: "Muziek" (with YS and Hagar)
• 2010: "Leef to the fullest" (with Big2)
• 2010: "Zing voor me" (with Thé Lau)
• 2011: "Stiekem" (Fouradi feat. Lange Frans)
• 2011: "Vrij" (feat. Marco Borsato)

Appearances / Featured in[link]

In albums

• 2004: "Fantasteez Remix" (with ADHD, Khalid de Zandneger, Murth The Man-O-Scrip and VSOP) on ADHD's album Aanbevolen Dagelijkse Hoeveelheid Dopeness
• 2005: "Les geleerd" (with Brace on Brace's album Strijder
• 2006: "Rammeluh" (with The Prophet) on the latter's album Sensation Black
• 2006: "Bouncen" (with Lloyd de Meza on the latter's album Mijn diamant
• 2006: "Alles wat je hebt" (with Negativ) on the latter's album Negativitijdperk
• 2006: "Ja bent van mij" (with The Partysquad and Michael Bryan) on The Partysquad album De bazen van de club
• 2006: "De bazen van de club" (with The Partysquad, QF, Nino and Zwarte Sjaak)) again on the latter's album De bazen van de club
• 2007: "Flappen" with Brutus and Zwarte Sjaak) on the latter's album Gedachtegang
• 2007: "(N.L.) Nwe Lichting" (with Extince, Nina, Jiggy Djé, Winne and Kempi) on Extince album Toch?
• 2007: "Zo Fly" (with Jayh) on the latter's album Jayh.NL
• 2010: "Leef to the fullest" (with Big2 on The Opposites album Succes / Ik ben twan
• 2010: "Kijk Omhoog" (with Kleine Jay) on Cartes & Kleine Jay album Het opwarmertje

In Compilation albums and mixtapes

• 2003: "4 Specialisten" (with Negativ, Baas B and Ali B) on De Gastenlijst album
• 2003: "Spreek" on De Gastenlijst album
• 2009: "Pears" / "Naar De Klote" (with Frederico Franchi) on Total Los Vol. 2 by The Partysquad mixtape
• 2009: "Blauw Suede Schoenen" on So So Lobi mixtape by Winne
• 2010: "Dik Als Een Malle" on The Lost Tracks Pt. 1 by Dokuz & RickySluys
• 2010: "Driemteam" on Extravaganza V by TopNotch

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Christine Nesbitt

Personal information
Born	(1985-05-17) 17 May 1985 (age 27) Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb; 10.7 st)
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Women's speed skating Competitor for  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver 1000 m Silver 2006 Turin Team pursuit World Allround Championships Silver 2011 Calgary Allround Bronze 2012 Moskou Allround World Sprint Championships Gold 2011 Heerenveen Sprint Silver 2012 Calgary Sprint World Single Distance Championships Gold 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Gold 2009 Vancouver 1000 m Gold 2009 Vancouver Team pursuit Gold 2011 Inzell 1000 m Gold 2011 Inzell Team Pursuit Gold 2012 Heerenveen 1000 m Gold 2012 Heerenveen 1500 m Silver 2008 Nagano Team pursuit Silver 2012 Heerenveen Team pursuit Bronze 2007 Salt Lake City 1000 m Bronze 2009 Vancouver 1500 m

Christine Nesbitt (born 17 May 1985, in Melbourne, Australia) is a Canadian long track speed skater who currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. She is the world record holder for 1000m, with the time of 1:12:68 recorded in Calgary Alberta on 28 January 2012. Nesbitt won the Gold Medal in the 1000 m event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.^[1] She had previously won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.^[2] She is also the 2011 Sprint Champion, 2012 1500m World Champion, three-time World Champion for 1000m (2009, 2011, 2012) and three-time World Champion for Team Pursuit (2007, 2009, 2011).

Personal[link]

Christine Nesbitt was born to a Canadian father and an Australian mother in Melbourne, Australia.^[3] As a youth Christine Nesbitt took an interest in track events, in cross country competitions, and in ice hockey while attending Jeanne Sauvé Primary School in London, Ontario. Christine played competitive hockey with the London Devilettes until switching to short track speed skating at age 12. Nesbitt continued her interests in running and speed skating while at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London where she graduated as an Ontario scholar. She entered University of Calgary in the Autumn of 2003 as an Engineering student.^[4]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

While a short track competitor Nesbitt was nationally ranked and was the top ranked short track junior in Ontario setting numerous provincial records, some of which still stand. In 1999, at age 13, she won a silver medal with the Ontario short track 3,000m relay team in the Canada Winter Games, and also won a bronze in the same event in the 2003 Canada Winter Games.^[2][5]

Nesbitt took up long track speed skating in August 2003 and moved to Calgary, Alberta to train at the University of Calgary Olympic Oval.^[5][6] She earned a spot on the national team in January 2005, commenced ISU World Cup competitions the same month, and competed in her first World Championships (Single Distance Championships) that year. The 2004–2005 Single Distance Championships at Inzell Germany were her first World Championships, finishing 17th at both the 1,000 m and 1,500 m distances.^[3] Nesbitt won the Canadian long track "Rising Star Award" in the spring of 2005, in part on the strength of her results in the 2005 Single Distance Championships.^[7]

Nesbitt first qualified for World Cup competitions in January 2005 and skated in her first world cup meet during the winter season of 2004–2005 under guidance of her coach, Marcel Lacroix. The next season (2005–06 season), she won her first world cup medal, a bronze in the 1500 m at Salt Lake City on 20 November 2005, and later won two silver medals with the Canadian women's team pursuit.^[3] She ended the season ranked 11th in the 1500 m and 21st in the 1000 m.^[3]

Nesbitt first qualified for the All Round Championships in 2005–2006, which were held in Calgary. Her overall rank was 16th at the competition, after finishing 8th in the 500 m, 10th in the 1500 m and 22nd in the 3000 m.^[3]

Turin to Vancouver[link]

Nesbitt clinched a spot in the 2006 Winter Olympics after winning two golds and a bronze in the 2005 Canada Post Single Distance Championships. On 15 February 2006, Nesbitt, with Cindy Klassen and Kristina Groves set the team pursuit Olympic record, and won her first Olympic medal, a silver, in the team pursuit on the following day. In the 1000 m event, Nesbitt placed 14th with a time of 1:17.54 and placed 7th in the 1500 m with a time of 1:59.15.^[3]

During the 2006–07 World Cup season, she reached the podium 9 times, capturing five silver and two bronze medals in the 1000 m and 1500 m distances, and two silver medals in team pursuits. At the end of the season, her World Cup rankings were 4th in the 1500 m and 7th in the 1000 m.^[3]

At the 2006–07 Heerenveen All Round Championships she received an overall rank of 9th, having won a bronze medal in the 1500 m, placing 6th in the 500 m, 14th in the 3000 m and 11th in the 5000 m.^[3] The 2006–07 Single Distance Championships held at Kearns (Salt Lake City) Utah brought her a gold medal in the team pursuit (with Shannon Rempel and Kristina Groves), bronze medal in the 1000 m and a 6th place finish in the 1500 m race.^[3]

The 2007–08 World Cup competitions saw Nesbitt win her first gold medal in the first competition of the year, a win in the 1500 m at Salt Lake City. There she skated four distances the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000 m, setting personal best times at each distance.^[3] During the season she had 12 podium finishes, amassing 2 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze World Cup medals. Although suffering an injury before the final World Cup meet, she ended the season ranked 2nd in the 1500 m and 6th in the 1000 m. The 2007–08 Single Distance Championships in Nagano were somewhat of a disappointment. She skated while carrying a groin injury, placing 4th in the 1000 m, 5th in the 1500 m and winning a silver medal in the Team Pursuit.

The 2007–2008 Allround Championships were held in Berlin where she finished first in the 500 m, third in the 1500 m, placed 5th in the 3000 m, and 9th in the 5000 m. Nesbitt thus completed the competition with a final rank of 4th overall among the 24 qualifiers.^[3]

Olympic Gold[link]

The 2008–09 World Cup competitions commenced with a new coach, Ingrid Paul. Her season opened with a 1500 m competition in Berlin, in which she finished a disappointing 6th, but rebounded the next day with a gold medal in the 1000 m race.^[3] She had three 1000 m gold medal performances during Fall World Cup competitions, and ended a successful racing season with 11 podium finishes including 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals.^[3] She ranked first in 1000 m World Cup Competitions, thus capturing the 1000 m World Cup title. Although she missed the Salt Lake City World Cup Finale 1500 m race due to injury, she ended the season ranked third in the 1500 m World Cup Competition.^[3]

Richmond British Columbia hosted the 2008–2009 Single Distance Championships. Nesbitt competed in the 1000 m, 1500 m and Team Pursuit, collecting gold in the 1000 m and Pursuit races, and a bronze medal in the 1500 m.^[6] Hamar, Norway hosted the 2008–2009 All Round Championships. Nesbitt won the 500 m and placed second in the 1500 m. She finished 13th in the 3000 m and 11th in the 5000 m, her final ranking being 6th among the 24 competitors.^[3]

Nesbitt qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. On 16 February, she finished 10th in the 500 metres.^[8] Two days later, on 18 February, she won gold in the 1000 metres.^[9]

After the 2010 Olympics[link]

The summer after the Olympics Nesbitt was involved in a car accident. Nesbitt usually commutes to and from the track by road bicycle and was t-boned by an SUV suffering a fractured elbow and injured her knee.^[10] Despite the injuries, she qualified with ease for the 2010–11 World Cup by winning the 1,500 m at the national World Cup trials.^[10]

At the 2011world single distance championships she won gold medals in the sprint, the 1000-metre and team pursuit events. She also won the world sprint championship, the women's 1,500-metre World Cup title and had a silver medal finish in the all-around world championships. ^[11]

On 28 January 2012 she set a world record of 1:12.68 for the 1000 m distance at the Calgary Olympic Oval. In March 2012 she won the women's 1,500-metre World Cup title and the Grand World Cup for the season's best skater. ^[12]

Personal records[link]

• 500 m 37.59 (21 January 2012, Salt Lake City)
• 1000 m 1:12.68 (28 January 2012, Calgary) World Record
• 1500 m 1:52.75 (10 November 2007, Salt Lake City; 17 November 2007, Calgary)
• 3000 m 4:03.44 (6 January 2011, Calgary)
• 5000 m 7:07.15 (13 January 2008, Calgary)
• Team Pursuit 2:55.79 (6 December 2009, Calgary) World Record with Kristina Groves and Brittany Schussler
• Team Pursuit 3:01.24 (16 February 2006, Turin) Olympic Record with Kristina Groves and Cindy Klassen

References[link]

External links[link]

• Christine Nesbitt's Official Website
• The traditional Adelskalender ranking is based on a skater's best time in the 500 m, 1500 m, 3k and 5k distances
• Jakub Majerski's Speedskating Database provides numerous rankings of skaters, based on career best times
• Speedskating Canada Biography
• Interview: Christine Nesbitt confident about future, October 2007
• Canoe.ca Profile

Martina Sáblíková

Martina Sáblíková, Vancouver, 2010
Personal information
Born	(1987-05-25) 25 May 1987 (age 25) Nové Město na Moravě, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	54 kg (120 lb; 8.5 st)
Sport
Country	Czech Republic
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Women's speed skating Competitor for  Czech Republic Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver 3000 m Gold 2010 Vancouver 5000 m Bronze 2010 Vancouver 1500 m World Championships Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 3000 m Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 5000 m Gold 2008 Nagano 5000 m Gold 2009 Hamar Allround Gold 2009 Vancouver 5000 m Gold 2010 Heerenveen Allround Gold 2011 Inzell 5000 m Gold 2012 Heerenveen 3000 m Gold 2012 Heerenveen 5000 m Silver 2009 Vancouver 3000 m Silver 2011 Inzell 3000 m Silver 2012 Moscow Allround Bronze 2011 Calgary Allround European Championships Gold 2007 Collalbo Allround Gold 2010 Hamar Allround Gold 2011 Collalbo Allround Gold 2012 Budapest Allround Bronze 2008 Kolomna Allround Bronze 2009 Heerenveen Allround World Junior Championships Silver 2006 Erfurt Allround

Martina Sáblíková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmarcɪna ˈsaːbliːkovaː] ( listen)) (born 27 May 1987 in Nové Město na Moravě, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech speedskater, specializing in long distance races. She is an Olympic gold medal winner and a multiple World champion. She is the elder sister of fellow speedskater Milan Sáblík.

Career[link]

As a junior, Sáblíková already achieved some notable results during international tournaments. In 2005, she came seventh in the 5,000 m during the World Single Distance Championships. On 18 November 2005, she skated the 3,000 m junior world record 4:00.69 in Salt Lake City. She became Czech youth champion in 1999, 2001, and 2004.

In the 2006 European allround championships in Hamar, she finished fourth overall, by placing third at the 3,000 m and winning the 5,000 m. At the 5,000 meter she surprisingly beat favorite Claudia Pechstein.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she finished fourth in the 5,000 m, behind Clara Hughes, Claudia Pechstein, and Cindy Klassen. During her race against Cindy Klassen she was more than 3 seconds faster in the last round, but eventually missed the bronze medal by a second.

Because of Sáblíková's results, her position on the all time world ranking, the Adelskalender, increased from the 94th to the 15th place within a year. In March 2006, she skated a world record at the 10,000 m, beating Clara Hughes's former best time by more than 11 seconds.

The next year she won her first major tournament, the 2007 European Allround Speed Skating Championships in Collalbo, with an outdoor world record samalog score 162.954 points. She won both the 3,000 m and the 5,000 m in an outdoor world record time. She did not perform so well at the World alround championships in Heerenveen, where she finished fifth, but she managed to win the 2006–07 Speed Skating World Cup on the 3,000 and 5,000 m track. At the end of the season she won two gold medals at the 2007 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City on 3,000 m and 5,000 m tracks. She also beat here the 5,000 m track world record and set it for 6:45.61, 1.3 seconds faster than the previous record of Claudia Pechstein.

On 15 March 2007, Sáblíková became the first female speedskater to skate a 10,000 m below 14 minutes when she did 13:48.33 in Calgary.^[1] She improved her own one year old world record by almost 20 seconds and this unbelievable result belonged to top 100 men all time. In December 2007, she took the 18th place in the poll European Sportsperson of the Year of the Polish Press Agency.^[2] She also won the title of the Sportsperson of the Year of the Czech Republic twice – in 2007 and 2009.^[3]

One week before the start of the 2007–08 World Cup season Sáblíková fell during her training, and fractured her humerus and stretched ligaments.^[4] Although the injury limited her training in the beginning, she had an excellent season, and finally got the title with 6 out of 7 world cup wins (including the final) at the 3,000 m and 5,000 m track.^[5] She also finished 9th at the 1,500 m track.^[6]

On 13 January, she took bronze at the 2008 European allround championships in Kolomna, Russia. On 12 January, the first day of the event, she improved her personal best at the 500 m track, her weakest distance, skating the time of 40.58 seconds. However, it was still too slow to compete with the best skaters, and so she finally finished 3rd despite winning the 3,000 m and 5,000 m distances.^{[7] [8]} On 10 February she finished 5th at the World Allround Championships in Heerenveen, again winning the 5,000 m track but with a poor 500 m track result.^[9]

On 9 March 2008 she won gold at the 5,000 m track at the World Single Distance Championships in Nagano, Japan.^[10] However, she was very disappointed with her 3,000 m performance two days before, when she finished 4th.^[11]

On 11 January 2009 she repeated her previous bronze performance at the European allround championships^[12] despite her traditionally weak performance at the 500 m track and surprising 4th place at the 3,000 m track.^[13] However on 8 February she took gold at the World allround championships in Hamar after setting new Czech national record at the 500 m track 40.28 seconds and winning the 3,000 m and 5,000 m tracks. It was the first world alround medal in her career.^[14][15] On the 1 February 2009 Martina Sáblíková and her fellow Czech competitors Andrea Jirků and Karolína Erbanová won the team pursuit competition at the World Cup Final in Erfurt, setting new Czech national record for 3:05.32. After the leading Dutch team did not finish the race, they also won the whole 2008/2009 World Cup.^[16]

At the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver (2010), Sáblíková won three medals, two golds (3000 and 5000 metres) and one bronze (1500 metres).

Martina Sáblíková and Milan Sáblík are a rare example of sister and brother both holding world records in the same sport at the same time; Martina holds the (senior) world records in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events (both from March 2007), while Milan shares the junior world record for the team pursuit with fellow Czech junior skaters Pavel Kulma and Zdeněk Haselberger (from November 2007). Sáblíková's successes are even more surprising given that there is no speedskating stadium in the Czech Republic. Because of this, Sáblíková's coach Petr Novák had to devise several unorthodox but successful training methods.

*=not an official distance for women, so no official World record

In-line skating and cycling[link]

Martina Sáblíková also competed in several inline speed skating and cycling races as a part of her summer preparation for the skating season. In 2004, she finished 16th at the Junior Inline Speed Skating World Championships on the 20 km track in Sulmona. In 2006, she won the marathon (42.2 km) at the Czech Inline Speed Skating Championships in Plzeň and in 2007 the halfmarathon (21.6 km) in Ostrava.^[18] In 2007, she also took bronze in individual time trial on the 24 km track at the European U23-Junior Road Cycling Championships in Sofia and another bronze on the 18 km track at the Czech Road Cycling Championships in Žďár nad Sázavou. In 2010 she takes gold at the Czech Road and Time Trial National Championship .^[19]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Martina Sáblíková - official website
• Martina Sáblíková at SkateResults.com
• Photos and facts of Martina Sáblíková
• AP Winter Games Profile: Martina Sablikova
• Associated Press: Czech Republic's Sablikova captures women's 3,000

Awards
Preceded by Barbora Špotáková	Czech Athlete of the Year 2009, 2010	Succeeded by Petra Kvitová
Preceded by Shani Davis	Oscar Mathisen Award 2010	Succeeded by Incumbent