Jeremy Wotherspoon
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Lee Wotherspoon is a Canadian
speed skater
, widely recognized as one of the greatest speedskating sprinters of all time.
Wotherspoon was born in Humboldt
, Saskatchewan
but grew up in Red Deer
, Alberta
. He first became involved in speedskating after signing up for a power skating class in an effort to improve his ice hockey
abilities. Initially, Wotherspoon competed in both short track
and long track events. He eventually chose long track as a specialty and climbed through the junior ranks, moving to Calgary
to train with the Canadian National Team at the age of 17. Wotherspoon soon won medals on the World Cup circuit, with his first victories in 1997. In December 2003, Jeremy became the most successful male skater in World Cup history when he claimed the 49th victory of his career.
, and a 13-time World Cup Overall Champion
on the 500 m and the 1000 m. During the 1998 Winter Olympics
games in Nagano, Wotherspoon won a silver medal in the 500 m, despite being the favorite.
Four years later, at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City, Wotherspoon fell at the start of his run during the 500 m, and finished 13th in the 1000 m event. The following Olympic Games
in Turin
, he failed to reach the podium once again, placing 9th in the 500 m event and 11th in the 1000 m. Wotherspoon, disappointed, decided to spend time alone on Mausund
, a remote Norwegian island near the Arctic Circle. When asked whether he was anxious over skating after a season away from the sport, he stated "I'm more interested to see how quickly I can get back up ."
in Vancouver after finishing first in the Canadian trials held at the Calgary
Olympic Oval. Despite this, Wotherspoon placed 9th and 14th in the Olympic events, respectively.
Wotherspoon announced his retirement from speed skating on December 6, 2009, promising to do so following the season.
Since November 23, 1997, Wotherspoon has held the world record for the sprint combination: the point summation of four races (2x 500 m and 2x 1000 m) skated consecutively within two or three days, like those calculated for the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
. He improved on his own record five times since and his current world record is 135.355 (34.03, 34.14, 1:07.34, 1:07.03), accomplished during World Cup races at the Utah Olympic Oval
in November 2007.
Finally, Wotherspoon has skated the six fastest laps (400 m) ever, the fastest of which was a 24.32 s lap in his first 1000 m race in Salt Lake City in November 2007. His average speed in that lap was 59.21 kilometres per hour (36.8 mph).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
speed skater
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
, widely recognized as one of the greatest speedskating sprinters of all time.
Wotherspoon was born in Humboldt
Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Humboldt is a Canadian city located in the province of Saskatchewan, 113 km east of Saskatoon at the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 20. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Humboldt No...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
but grew up in Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He first became involved in speedskating after signing up for a power skating class in an effort to improve his ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
abilities. Initially, Wotherspoon competed in both short track
Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
and long track events. He eventually chose long track as a specialty and climbed through the junior ranks, moving to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
to train with the Canadian National Team at the age of 17. Wotherspoon soon won medals on the World Cup circuit, with his first victories in 1997. In December 2003, Jeremy became the most successful male skater in World Cup history when he claimed the 49th victory of his career.
Early career
Wotherspoon has dominated sprint events and held world records in both the 500 m and 1000 m distances. He is a four-time World Sprint ChampionWorld Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men
The International Skating Union has organised the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1970. The first two years , they were called the ISU Sprint Championships.-Medal winners:-All-time medal count:- References :*...
, and a 13-time World Cup Overall Champion
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...
on the 500 m and the 1000 m. During 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...
games in Nagano, Wotherspoon won a silver medal in the 500 m, despite being the favorite.
Four years later, 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...
in Salt Lake City, Wotherspoon fell at the start of his run during the 500 m, and finished 13th in the 1000 m event. The following 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...
in Turin
Turin
Turin 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...
, he failed to reach the podium once again, placing 9th in the 500 m event and 11th in the 1000 m. Wotherspoon, disappointed, decided to spend time alone on Mausund
Mausund
Mausund is a small village and an island group in the municipality of Frøya in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located about northwest of the island of Frøya, roughly between the islands of Sula and Halten....
, a remote Norwegian island near the Arctic Circle. When asked whether he was anxious over skating after a season away from the sport, he stated "I'm more interested to see how quickly I can get back up ."
Final Olympics and Retirement
Following his time in Norway, Wotherspoon set a world record in the 500 m event on November 9, 2007. However, he later suffered an arm injury while skating in the 2008-09 World Cup season. On December 27, 2009, Jeremy Wotherspoon officially secured his spot for the 500 m and 1000 m events at the 2010 Winter Olympics2010 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 after finishing first in the Canadian trials held at the Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
Olympic Oval. Despite this, Wotherspoon placed 9th and 14th in the Olympic events, respectively.
Wotherspoon announced his retirement from speed skating on December 6, 2009, promising to do so following the season.
Personal bests
World records
Over the course of his career, Wotherspoon skated 10 official world records:| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 m | 1:10.16 | 29 December 1997 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
| 1000 m | 1:09.09 | 15 January 1999 | Calgary |
| 500 m | 34.76 | 20 February 1999 | Calgary |
| 1000 m | 1:08.66 | 20 February 1999 | Calgary |
| 1000 m | 1:08.49 | 12 January 2000 | Calgary |
| 500 m | 34.63 | 29 January 2000 | Calgary |
| 1000 m | 1:08.35 | 18 March 2000 | Calgary |
| 1000 m | 1:08.28 | 11 March 2001 | Salt Lake City Utah Olympic Oval The Utah Olympic Oval, an indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facility the 400-meter skating track surrounds two international sized... |
| 1000 m | 1:07.72 | 1 December 2001 | Salt Lake City |
| 500 m | 34.03 | 9 November 2007 | Salt Lake City |
Since November 23, 1997, Wotherspoon has held the world record for the sprint combination: the point summation of four races (2x 500 m and 2x 1000 m) skated consecutively within two or three days, like those calculated for the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
. He improved on his own record five times since and his current world record is 135.355 (34.03, 34.14, 1:07.34, 1:07.03), accomplished during World Cup races at the Utah Olympic Oval
Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval, an indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facility the 400-meter skating track surrounds two international sized...
in November 2007.
Finally, Wotherspoon has skated the six fastest laps (400 m) ever, the fastest of which was a 24.32 s lap in his first 1000 m race in Salt Lake City in November 2007. His average speed in that lap was 59.21 kilometres per hour (36.8 mph).