Kristina Groves

Kristina Nicole Groves (born December 4, 1976[1][2]) is a Canadian retired speed skater. She is Canada's most decorated skater in the World Single Distances Championships with 13 career medals in this event.[3] She won four Olympic medals: she won two silver medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, in the 1,500 meters and team pursuit,[2] and she won the silver medal in the 1500 m event and the bronze medal in the 3000 m event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.[2]

Kristina Groves
Personal information
Born (1976-12-04) December 4, 1976
Ottawa, Ontario[1]
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight66 kg (146 lb; 10.4 st)
Sport
Country Canada
SportSpeed skating
Medal record
Women's speed skating
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2006 Turin1500 m
Silver medal – second place2006 TurinTeam pursuit
Silver medal – second place2010 Vancouver1500 m
Bronze medal – third place2010 Vancouver3000 m
World Allround Championships
Silver medal – second place2009 HamarAllround
Silver medal – second place2010 HeerenveenAllround
Bronze medal – third place2006 CalgaryAllround
Bronze medal – third place2008 BerlinAllround
World Single Distance Championships
Gold medal – first place2007 Salt Lake CityTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2008 Nagano3000 m
Gold medal – first place2009 VancouverTeam pursuit
Silver medal – second place2005 InzellTeam pursuit
Silver medal – second place2008 Nagano1000 m
Silver medal – second place2008 NaganoTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2005 Inzell3000 m
Bronze medal – third place2007 Salt Lake City1500 m
Bronze medal – third place2007 Salt Lake City5000 m
Bronze medal – third place2008 Nagano1500 m
Bronze medal – third place2008 Nagano5000 m
Bronze medal – third place2009 Vancouver3000 m
Bronze medal – third place2009 Vancouver5000 m

As of 2012, she was ranked sixth on the women's Adelskalender, her teammates Cindy Klassen and Christine Nesbitt were ranked first and seventh respectively.[4]

Career
Kristina Groves (2008)

Groves made her Olympic debut in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics held in the United States. She finished 20th at 1500 m, 8th at 3000 m and 10th at 5000 m.[5]

Four years later, during the 2006 Winter Olympics games held in Turin, Italy, Groves participated in five events (1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, team pursuit). She finished 5th at 1000 m, 2nd at the 1500 m, 8th at the 3000 m, 6th at the 5000 m, and 2nd in the team pursuit with the Canadian team.

She was the 2008 Single Distances World Champion on the 3000-m. She won a medal in every event that she skated at these championships, as she also won an additional 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals.

During the 2008–2009 world cup season, Groves won 12 medals including four gold. During the 2009 World Single Distances Championships held at the new Richmond Olympic Oval, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, her career took an amazing turn when Groves became the most decorated speed skating athlete in the country at this event, surpassing the well-known Jeremy Wotherspoon with 13 medals, compared to his 10. She is also the world cup winner for a second year in a row at 1500 m event.

During the Calgary Essent ISU Worldcup held at the Olympic Oval, Groves set a world record on December 6, 2009, at the team pursuit with teammates Christine Nesbitt and Brittany Schussler with a time of two minutes 55.79 seconds.[6]

Groves qualified for 5 events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver and participated in the 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m and team pursuit, more than any other athletes on the Canadian speed skating team.[7] In her first event at the Olympics, the 3000 metres, she won a bronze medal.[8] On February 18 she finished fourth in the 1000 metres, .06 seconds behind the bronze medal winner. Her teammate Christine Nesbitt won the gold medal.[9] On February 21, she won a silver medal in the 1500 metres.[10] She became the 11th Canadian to win at least four medals at the Olympics (Summer or Winter).[11]

Personal life

Born in Ottawa, Groves attended Fielding Drive Public School and Brookfield High School. She trained with the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club.[12] She majored in kinesiology at University of Calgary and graduated in 2004.[13] Groves was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Personal records

Groves' current Adelskalender score is 157.616, which places 6th of all time.[4]

500 m–38.75
1000 m–1:14.51
1500 m–1:53.18
3000 m–3:58.11
5000 m–6:54.54

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com.[14]

World records
EventTimeDateVenue
Team pursuit3:05.49November 12, 2004Hamar
Team pursuit3:03.07November 20, 2004Berlijn
Team pursuit2:55.79December 6, 2009Calgary

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com.[2]

References and notes
  1. "Kristina Grove: Official Canadian Olympic Team Website". Canadian Olympic Committee.
  2. "Kristina Groves". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  3. http://vancouver.sportingnews.com/wolympics/athlete.asp?type=&country=CAN&page=SS&id=530688%5B%5D
  4. "Adelskalender: Small combination Women". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  5. "Sports News, Opinion, Scores, Schedules | TSN".
  6. "Sports News, Opinion, Scores, Schedules | TSN".
  7. "Sports News, Opinion, Scores, Schedules | TSN".
  8. Starkman, Randy (2010-02-15). "Crowd spurs Kristina Groves to bronze". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  9. Traikos, Michael (2010-02-19). "Groves pleased with fourth despite missing podium by a fraction of a second". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  10. Friesen, Paul (2010-02-21). "Canada's Groves takes silver in women's 1,500". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  11. "Most Canadian Olympic medals". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  12. "Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club Home Page". Archived from the original on 2003-10-28.
  13. "Alumna: Kristina Groves | University of Calgary". Archived from the original on 2008-03-11.
  14. "Kristina Groves". SpeedskatingResults.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
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