Wilf O'Reilly
Encyclopedia
Wilfred John 'Wilf' O'Reilly (born 22 August 1964 in Birmingham
, West Midlands
, England
) is a former British
short track speed skater. He won two gold medals in 1988 Winter Olympics
when short-track speed skatiing was held as a demonstration sport. He also is the 1991 Overall World Champion
.
in Calgary
, but was denied full Olympic acclamation because shorttrack skating was just a demonstration event that year. O'Reilly won the World Championship in Sydney
in 1991.
He had a disastrous 1994 Olympics
in Lillehammer
where he crashed out of both the 500 metre and 1000 metre events, protesting about being forced to race with a damaged blade.
on speed skating events at the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
alongside Hugh Porter
.
Short Track Speed Skating World Cup Management Commission.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a former British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
short track speed skater. He won two gold medals in 1988 Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
when short-track speed skatiing was held as a demonstration sport. He also is the 1991 Overall World Champion
World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships are a senior international short track speed skating competition held once a year to determine the World Champion in individual distances, relays and Overall Classification...
.
Speed skating career
Wilf won two gold medals in the 500 metre and 1000 metre events at the 1988 Winter Olympics1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
in 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...
, but was denied full Olympic acclamation because shorttrack skating was just a demonstration event that year. O'Reilly won the World Championship in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1991.
He had a disastrous 1994 Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
where he crashed out of both the 500 metre and 1000 metre events, protesting about being forced to race with a damaged blade.
Commentating
Wilf commentated for BBC SportBBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
on speed skating events at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics
The speed skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Richmond Olympic Oval between 13 and 27 February 2010.- Notes :Haralds Silovs became the first athlete in Olympic history to participate in both short track and long track speed skating, and the first to compete in two...
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,...
alongside Hugh Porter
Hugh Porter
Hugh Porter MBE is one of Britain's greatest former professional cyclists, winning four world titles in the individual pursuit as well as a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1966...
.
Honours
O'Reilly was awarded the MBE in 1997. He is currently a member of the ISUISU
ISU may refer to:* International System of Unit* ISU-152, ISU-122, Soviet self-propelled guns* Integrated Security Unit* International Skating Union* International Seamen's Union* International Stereoscopic Union* Independent Study Unit...
Short Track Speed Skating World Cup Management Commission.