Going for Gold

After undergoing surgery on both knees, Winnipegger Cindy Klassen - Canada's most decorated Olympian - is on her way to Vancouver, ready once again to take on the world.

By Jennifer Partridge

It's a bright, crisp morning in December as Cindy Klassen, a sleek silhouette in her form-fitting speed skating suit, glides along the ice inside Calgary's Olympic Oval, preparing to take a few practice laps just days before an important race.

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Seconds later, the Winnipeg native is streaking around the track, the quick thrusts of her powerful legs gradually lengthening into an easy flow as she hits her beautifully synchronized stride, the one that has earned her the respect and admiration of anyone who's ever followed her illustrious career.

Klassen doesn't need to go hard. And she doesn't. Her skating is loose and limber. But there is something in the air that seems to hint at the uncertainty surrounding her this day. With just over two months to go, Klassen has not yet solidified her position on the Canadian speed skating team headed for the Vancouver Olympic Games in February.

Two knee surgeries 18 months ago have taken their toll, and it is only now that she is starting to regain the power, fitness and technique synonymous with her stature as a six-time Olympic medalist. With less than a month to go before the last series of Olympic qualifying races, Klassen knows practices like these hold the key to determining whether she will make a return trip to the podium in Vancouver.

Given the circumstances, it is easy to understand how someone in Klassen's position might be feeling a little pressure. After all, she is Canada's Golden Girl, the nation's most decorated Olympian, with six medals and four world championships to her credit. The expectations for her are off the chart. And yet, somehow, this 30-yearold woman remains as cool as a January morning at Portage and Main.

"Skating is something I love to do," Klassen says, flashing her gorgeous trademark smile in an interview following her practice laps. "I really feel like this is where God has placed me, in this sport, so when I get back on the ice, I love it. And I'm just so thankful to be able to get back and to be able to race again. Having that joy for skating is what helps, and also having a challenge, having that goal ahead of me to try to get to the Games. That pushes me and helps me to get onto the ice every day to do the best that I can."

That combination of faith, hard work and pure joy for the sport will pay off for Klassen.

On Dec. 28 at the Canadian Olympic team trials in long-track speed skating, she finishes second with a time of 4 minutes, 6.08 seconds in the 3,000 metre race. That's good enough to land Klassen on the team headed to Vancouver.

"I just left it in God's hands," a smiling Klassen told reporters following the conclusion of this all-important race. "I'm happy with the race and I just thank God for giving me the ability to come back and qualify for the Games, because I didn't know a year and a half ago what was going to happen. So I'm just grateful for this opportunity again."

Three days later, on the first day of 2010, Klassen turns in another second-place finish, with a time of 1 minute, 55.65 seconds, in the women's 1,500-metre qualifying trials to ensure another Olympic ticket. And before the month is over, she will snag a spot in the 5,000-metre race.

So how does it feel, that realization that she's set to compete for Canada on the glittering world stage known as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games?

"It's very exciting, especially since they're in our home country," she says. "It's not like anything else. I've been to a lot of World Cups and world championships, and although there's a lot of hype and it's very exciting to compete in those, the Olympics only come once every four years.

"It's also about national pride. It's a tremendous honour just to be able to qualify for those Games and to represent Canada in our home country."

Clearly, Klassen isn't taking the privilege of skating for Canada in what will be her third Olympics for granted. That's because Klassen, recognized by Sports Illustrated magazine as one of the Top 10 Olympian women of the last decade, should be in the prime of her career.

But the last 24 months have been anything but smooth for the speed skating dynamo, who captured the hearts of millions with a record five medals, including a gold, two silver and two bronze, at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

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